Pseudoregalia is a game that absolutely blew me away, it’s easily one of the best Metroidvanias I’ve played. I honestly think it’s a near perfect game, I’d honestly say there’s only one major issue that’s preventing it from being completely perfect. Regardless, I absolutely loved playing Pseudoregalia.
I think outright the best aspect of the game is the movement. When it comes to Metroidvanias the aspect I love the most is all the movement options you can get. Having so many ways to traverse the level feels great, and Pseudoregalia does this in strides. Sybil’s main move is her air kicks, where she can kick off of walls, or in the air. The game limits you to three air kicks while midair so its never broken. I think what makes me think of the air kicks first is the sort of learning curve that comes to properly using them. At first, they feel weird, and difficult to pull of properly. But as you progress through the game, and learn how to use them more and more, they feel so good to properly pull off. This already feels great, but there’s so many upgrades to Sybil’s movement that are absolutely amazing. By the end of the game, I was quickly blasting through rooms, pulling off awesome maneuvers.
And as well the game is built so perfect for Sybil’s movement. There were so a lot of challenging platforming sections that I absolutely loved trying to figure out. I’ll be honest, I don’t know if I did any of them in the correct way. Sometimes it feels like I did things correctly, while sometimes I feel like I cheesed my way into the solution. And honestly, I really like that! The fact that there’s so many ways to clear a platforming challenge is really something, and it made each one really fresh.
The game does feature combat as well, though it’s very simple combat. While some may be bothered by that, I honestly prefer the more platforming-centric design of Pseudoregalia. Yet again, when the movement it satisfying like it is here, all I want to do is move, not fight. There’s only 2 bosses in the game as well, and neither of them were really difficult. In fact, I never died at all during my time with the game, though I did get close on some occasions. I honestly found the final boss to be run too.
And god, Pseudoregalia is a visually stunning game. I absolutely love when games try to emulate the style and look of N64 or PS1 games, and Pseudoregalia does this amazing well. And to add to it, the music is amazing. Tied with the fact that Pseudoregalia hs a very dreamlike aesthetic, everything fits so perfectly well. Each environment feels great to explore, and the aesthetics of each major area are amazing. The first that immediately comes to mind is the solemn atmosphere of the Empty Bailey. The Library and the Theatre are amazing locations as well.
But as I mentioned, I think there’s one thing sorely missing in Pseudoregalia. And that simply is a map. It’s so easy to get lost in Pseudoregalia. The game has so many intersecting paths that it’s easy to end up in an entirely new location rather easily. I don’t need a map to know where I’m supposed to go. Rather, I need a map to remember how to get to where I’ve already been. I really do think that a map alone would make this game perfect to me. And mentioning this, I’ve heard that there will be a future update that includes a map, alongside other bonuses which is amazing to hear. I definitely plan on replaying the game once the update with the map releases, so we’ll see what happens then.
Regardless though, I absolutely adore Pseudoregalia. It’s such a good, short and sweet little 3D Metroidvania. The movement is top notch, and it feels amazing. There’s so much that it does right, this game is just simply amazing. I’m probably going to wait for the update to release, but no doubt I will be replaying this game. Please play Pseudoregalia.
I think outright the best aspect of the game is the movement. When it comes to Metroidvanias the aspect I love the most is all the movement options you can get. Having so many ways to traverse the level feels great, and Pseudoregalia does this in strides. Sybil’s main move is her air kicks, where she can kick off of walls, or in the air. The game limits you to three air kicks while midair so its never broken. I think what makes me think of the air kicks first is the sort of learning curve that comes to properly using them. At first, they feel weird, and difficult to pull of properly. But as you progress through the game, and learn how to use them more and more, they feel so good to properly pull off. This already feels great, but there’s so many upgrades to Sybil’s movement that are absolutely amazing. By the end of the game, I was quickly blasting through rooms, pulling off awesome maneuvers.
And as well the game is built so perfect for Sybil’s movement. There were so a lot of challenging platforming sections that I absolutely loved trying to figure out. I’ll be honest, I don’t know if I did any of them in the correct way. Sometimes it feels like I did things correctly, while sometimes I feel like I cheesed my way into the solution. And honestly, I really like that! The fact that there’s so many ways to clear a platforming challenge is really something, and it made each one really fresh.
The game does feature combat as well, though it’s very simple combat. While some may be bothered by that, I honestly prefer the more platforming-centric design of Pseudoregalia. Yet again, when the movement it satisfying like it is here, all I want to do is move, not fight. There’s only 2 bosses in the game as well, and neither of them were really difficult. In fact, I never died at all during my time with the game, though I did get close on some occasions. I honestly found the final boss to be run too.
And god, Pseudoregalia is a visually stunning game. I absolutely love when games try to emulate the style and look of N64 or PS1 games, and Pseudoregalia does this amazing well. And to add to it, the music is amazing. Tied with the fact that Pseudoregalia hs a very dreamlike aesthetic, everything fits so perfectly well. Each environment feels great to explore, and the aesthetics of each major area are amazing. The first that immediately comes to mind is the solemn atmosphere of the Empty Bailey. The Library and the Theatre are amazing locations as well.
But as I mentioned, I think there’s one thing sorely missing in Pseudoregalia. And that simply is a map. It’s so easy to get lost in Pseudoregalia. The game has so many intersecting paths that it’s easy to end up in an entirely new location rather easily. I don’t need a map to know where I’m supposed to go. Rather, I need a map to remember how to get to where I’ve already been. I really do think that a map alone would make this game perfect to me. And mentioning this, I’ve heard that there will be a future update that includes a map, alongside other bonuses which is amazing to hear. I definitely plan on replaying the game once the update with the map releases, so we’ll see what happens then.
Regardless though, I absolutely adore Pseudoregalia. It’s such a good, short and sweet little 3D Metroidvania. The movement is top notch, and it feels amazing. There’s so much that it does right, this game is just simply amazing. I’m probably going to wait for the update to release, but no doubt I will be replaying this game. Please play Pseudoregalia.