EDIT: Found out a few weeks after release that the momentum doesn't work properly in >60FPS which is really bad on a momentum based game & has lowered my opinion a bit.

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Developing the skills to properly utilize the movement feels super rewarding. I'm a big fan of the yo-yo & how momentum is carried through its various uses. The levels are designed in a way that allows you to perform an insane amount of skips if the skill level is there & it feels very satisfying to pull off.

The basic controls can feel sluggish & unwieldy at first which feels like the games way of pushing the player into putting the effort in to learn how it all works which is a fine approach, although I do wish the basic directional movement was a bit faster. It can feel a little too slow & small adjustments where you want to use some basic movement come up frequently if you're trying to interact with all the NPC's and find secrets.

Unfortunately I feel like going for 100% makes the game less enjoyable as there can be too much stopping & starting involved & while finding the secrets & doing the denizen challenges can be fun in their own way, speeding through the level is a lot more enjoyable & I felt like I didn't get to experience it much in my initial playthrough. 6 objectives in each level feels like too much for a game with a large movement / speed focus.

The combo system might aswell not exist in its current state with how abusable it is. The fact that there's nothing in place to stop you from repeating the same moves over & over is baffling. I found multiple different techniques for this & it makes reaching the score goal on a stage trivial. It's not a huge deal but if the combo system was designed in a way that prevented these exploits & took the clear time into account more then I think it could be one of the more satisfying parts of the game. Trying to quickly get through the level using various movement options without repetition would have been perfect. Pizza Tower's P Ranks come to mind & I think this game could have benefited heavily from a similar system or atleast one that required a similar amount of effort.

The vibrant presentation is so much fun & it really makes me happy seeing games like this being released in 2024. Everything is so colourful & clean & there's a wide variety of different locations with the high world count & I found each one very nice to look at. The overall sound design & music is also great & matches the vibe of the visuals although I think an extra song for each of the longer worlds would have went a long way in breaking up the slight repetition I felt when going through longer stretches of standard levels.

My feelings on the penguins are mixed. They're a nice idea that help give the game more of its own identity (not that it has any problem with that) & I did have some fun with them early on although by the end of the game I found them quite annoying & felt like I would have preferred it if they weren't there at all. It's also a shame that there's a whole music track behind having one of them on you as you never hear it as it's so easy to shake them off.

Most of the bosses are too easy, forgettable & don't blend well with the gameplay of the stages at all. They fall into the same trap that you always see with 3D platformers where you're stuck in an arena & you're just idly avoiding hazards waiting for your turn to attack. I think the game would be better off if they were removed or ideally re-worked into something closer in line with the race but with a bit more effort to make them feel different enough to be considered special.

I ran into a pretty high number of annoying glitches, especially involving slopes. Most of them only resulted in a small waste of time but when they lead to death it can be annoying. In general the game feels like it could have used a bit more polish.

Despite some of these qualities holding the game back, overall I had a great time. I love these kinds of games & I hope to see more.

Simple yet enjoyable gameplay loop held down by smooth movement & gorgeous art direction. The clean geometry & bold colours really make each area pop & there's a great sense of scale throughout the entire game. Unfortunately the story didn't grab me at all & it was quite a large focus. I also didn't like the voice acting & sometimes corny & cliché writing. These aspects really made me appreciate how Hyper Light Drifter has no dialogue as it guarantees that this can't happen.