Developer: Bombservice
Platform: PC
Genre: Action, Platformer, Metroidvania
Gameplay Stats: 4.7 hours, 6/9 achievements, 20/20 bugs
This was another game that was recommended and purchased for me by a friend. 2016 is all about these apparently!
Visuals: This is a beautifully crafted pixel art game. I don't ever check, but based on how smooth the animations and movement is in this game, I'd bet it was running at 60 fps. The color pallet is a little muted for the characters and the backgrounds, but all movement and attacks were done brightly to convey what's dangerous and needs to be avoided as well as giving you a great idea of the range of your attacks. There's not a whole lot that seems reused between screens which is really great. Each one feels unique. My only gripe is the 4:3 aspect ratio. I know for a game released in 2016 that this represents a deliberate choice, but it's one that I'm not especially in favor of. Artistic expression though, I suppose.
Audio: This game has such a phenomenal soundtrack. It sounds fully orchestrated and is easily on par with a Studio Ghibli movie or Dark Souls games. The soundtrack really captures the mood of being one of the few sane people in a corrupted city. I don't know what else to say.
Plot: The plot of this game is told to you through character interactions. There are no cutscenes, no journal entries, and no unnecessary exposition. Your character is silent in the way that Link is silent. She is able to converse with other characters, but the dialogue is not shown to the player.
Gameplay: This game is tight! There were 0 instances where I felt like I died and it wasn't my fault. The map shows you generally where most of the secret rooms are, and there's a ring to let you know when there's something hidden in a room that you haven't found. The visual language of the game is very easy to understand and almost nothing is wasted space. There were a few screens that used the edge of the screen to indicate that you couldn't pass instead of a wall, but those were few and far between.
Overall, this game is fantastic. It's a bit short, but what is present is lovingly crafted and highly polished. I think it may be a bit pricey for some, but the game that's present is damn near perfect in my opinion. 9.5/10
Comments
Post a Comment