This game is a perfect example of good ideas with bad execution.
The concept of the game is you are a robot who loses his body at the beginning of the game, but fortunately you are in a space station filled with robotic animals you can take over. In each level there will be different animals which each come with different abilities and talents you will need to use to solve puzzles, bypass obstacles, and take on other animals: like the dog which is an all-rounder that can jump and bite, the RACING dog which can’t jump but can turbo around and fire missiles, and the sheep which can’t attack but can float long distances. Each level has a set number of missions to complete to activate the exit teleporter, as well as a secret item to collect via hidden objectives. As you go through the game you’ll go to different biomes which each have different animals and new hazards to overcome.
On paper the game sounds amazing, and it can be incredibly fun… At times. Problem is the game has many setbacks with its gameplay. The games difficulty has a habit of ramping up suddenly, and there are a lot of levels that will drive you crazy with inconsistent physics, precision platforming, and enemy animals that can kill you before you have a chance to react. These flaws become all the more annoying with the games jittery camera and the fact that NONE of the stages have checkpoints, so you need to start from the beginning each time you fail. Usually the game does a decent job keeping levels short enough where this isn’t a problem, but then it more frequently starts dropping longer levels and it becomes a migraine.
Space Station Silicon Valley is a game that can really benefit from a remaster or remake, it has a lot going for it from its ideas to its large amount of personality, but it needs another layer of polish. I would still recommend checking the game out, but be ready for the fun parts to be interspersed with early 3D Platformer jank and annoying level designs
The concept of the game is you are a robot who loses his body at the beginning of the game, but fortunately you are in a space station filled with robotic animals you can take over. In each level there will be different animals which each come with different abilities and talents you will need to use to solve puzzles, bypass obstacles, and take on other animals: like the dog which is an all-rounder that can jump and bite, the RACING dog which can’t jump but can turbo around and fire missiles, and the sheep which can’t attack but can float long distances. Each level has a set number of missions to complete to activate the exit teleporter, as well as a secret item to collect via hidden objectives. As you go through the game you’ll go to different biomes which each have different animals and new hazards to overcome.
On paper the game sounds amazing, and it can be incredibly fun… At times. Problem is the game has many setbacks with its gameplay. The games difficulty has a habit of ramping up suddenly, and there are a lot of levels that will drive you crazy with inconsistent physics, precision platforming, and enemy animals that can kill you before you have a chance to react. These flaws become all the more annoying with the games jittery camera and the fact that NONE of the stages have checkpoints, so you need to start from the beginning each time you fail. Usually the game does a decent job keeping levels short enough where this isn’t a problem, but then it more frequently starts dropping longer levels and it becomes a migraine.
Space Station Silicon Valley is a game that can really benefit from a remaster or remake, it has a lot going for it from its ideas to its large amount of personality, but it needs another layer of polish. I would still recommend checking the game out, but be ready for the fun parts to be interspersed with early 3D Platformer jank and annoying level designs
Space Station Silicon Valley built a reputation of being a surprising hit game with very positive reviews back in the day. This prompted me to rent the game and check what the fuzz was all about but truthfully the game never really clicked with me.
For the time, it had some interesting concepts and ideas setup with a mission based 3D-Environment. What held this back for me personally were some of the cryptic puzzles, game bugs, and frustrating control at times (depending on the animal/robot you were in control).
For the time, it had some interesting concepts and ideas setup with a mission based 3D-Environment. What held this back for me personally were some of the cryptic puzzles, game bugs, and frustrating control at times (depending on the animal/robot you were in control).
An extremely unique game with cute visuals and a very old-school design sensibility that proves frustrating at times and exciting at others. You really have to think and plan your strategies based on trial and error and you're forced to explore the areas properly as if you were actually there. The adorable sound effects and creature designs betray the difficulty of this thing and I think savestates are permitted here to at least remove the busywork from progressing through some long, easy challenges just to get another crack at the one that kills you in seconds.
I really adore this game even if I kind of hate playing it. They really packed in so much using this concept and bespoke engine to squeeze as much as they could out if it. Yet the ceiling is still the limit and I would have loved to see an expanded sequel. One of the few games I feel would have made for a really fun open world game, imagine possessing all the different creatures to traverse certain biomes easier or attack certain enemies. Alas, I doubt Take Two will ever allow for this to be rereleased or licensed out in any format, and DMA Design will forever be cursed to the GTA mines.
I really adore this game even if I kind of hate playing it. They really packed in so much using this concept and bespoke engine to squeeze as much as they could out if it. Yet the ceiling is still the limit and I would have loved to see an expanded sequel. One of the few games I feel would have made for a really fun open world game, imagine possessing all the different creatures to traverse certain biomes easier or attack certain enemies. Alas, I doubt Take Two will ever allow for this to be rereleased or licensed out in any format, and DMA Design will forever be cursed to the GTA mines.