I can't get over how cool this game was...
So first and foremost; movement in this game is unbelievable. May be some of my favorite movement in any game.. ever. Once you get most of your abilities, you smoove around so effortlessly and it feels like bliss.
The wall kick is a genius move that other games need to take a note from. I felt very in-control, nothing felt janky or too loose. It was just refined to perfection. I had so many instances where I was able to sequence break because of how freeing the movement felt. But it wasn't loose enough to make it feel cheap. It felt super super natural. Something a good metroidvania needs to get right.
I really enjoyed the pace and level design too. I think could be decisive for some, because it could be a bit aimless. But the confidence of not giving you map, teleporters, or really much direction at all is something I admire. The areas look a little samey because of the artstyle, but I kinda think it did the "mental map making" game some favors. I had to use really clever observation skills to keep track of my surroundings. When i'd have a moment where I was like "ok.. so this should lead here.." and it does; it felt amazing. Unlocking shortcuts and loops-around to older areas, always felt really satisfying. It feels kinda raw in some regard. It wants you to get lost and figure it out by your big-boy self. I respect it. It made me feel smart. By the end of the game, I really did know my way around most of the areas.
And the design of those areas was so surreal and cool. Very moody and atmospheric. Again, something I think works so well in metroidvania type games like this. Exploring feels kinda zen in a game like this. And a lot of that comes down to how you visually design your world.
The N64/PS1 (it's kinda a hybrid) style works pretty well establishing it's moody, dreary vibes. The world complements the art style, which complements the pacing. It all feels very deliberate, which I love to see. Especially from smaller indie titles like this. It's something big-name games can't get right sometimes.
I think the only thing that really bothered me was the combat felt a bit "mashy" like just kinda circle around enemies and hit em and hopefully don't die before you spam your heal. It didn't help there weren't too many enemies in the game. You see basically all of them by the end of the first area. Even the final boss was a little disappointing. I thought it would have two phases because the first one was so easy to just mash and win. In some other games, this kinda half-assed combat would bother me more, but it was not a main focus at all. There were times I went an hour without seeing an enemy. It almost felt as if it was there by necessity. And above all, it wasn't annoying. Just not really exciting. I would have more of an issue if the combat was frustrating to deal with.
Also the UI is butt-ugly. I'm a stickler for good UI. But this basically checks all of my "i hate this" boxes. It gets the job done, but it feels like an after-thought.
Other than that, I really REALLY enjoyed my time with this one. For less than $10 this is an absolute steal too. I think I clocked in about 7-8 hours. One of, if not my favorite game I've played all year. And up there with one of my favorite indies now.
So first and foremost; movement in this game is unbelievable. May be some of my favorite movement in any game.. ever. Once you get most of your abilities, you smoove around so effortlessly and it feels like bliss.
The wall kick is a genius move that other games need to take a note from. I felt very in-control, nothing felt janky or too loose. It was just refined to perfection. I had so many instances where I was able to sequence break because of how freeing the movement felt. But it wasn't loose enough to make it feel cheap. It felt super super natural. Something a good metroidvania needs to get right.
I really enjoyed the pace and level design too. I think could be decisive for some, because it could be a bit aimless. But the confidence of not giving you map, teleporters, or really much direction at all is something I admire. The areas look a little samey because of the artstyle, but I kinda think it did the "mental map making" game some favors. I had to use really clever observation skills to keep track of my surroundings. When i'd have a moment where I was like "ok.. so this should lead here.." and it does; it felt amazing. Unlocking shortcuts and loops-around to older areas, always felt really satisfying. It feels kinda raw in some regard. It wants you to get lost and figure it out by your big-boy self. I respect it. It made me feel smart. By the end of the game, I really did know my way around most of the areas.
And the design of those areas was so surreal and cool. Very moody and atmospheric. Again, something I think works so well in metroidvania type games like this. Exploring feels kinda zen in a game like this. And a lot of that comes down to how you visually design your world.
The N64/PS1 (it's kinda a hybrid) style works pretty well establishing it's moody, dreary vibes. The world complements the art style, which complements the pacing. It all feels very deliberate, which I love to see. Especially from smaller indie titles like this. It's something big-name games can't get right sometimes.
I think the only thing that really bothered me was the combat felt a bit "mashy" like just kinda circle around enemies and hit em and hopefully don't die before you spam your heal. It didn't help there weren't too many enemies in the game. You see basically all of them by the end of the first area. Even the final boss was a little disappointing. I thought it would have two phases because the first one was so easy to just mash and win. In some other games, this kinda half-assed combat would bother me more, but it was not a main focus at all. There were times I went an hour without seeing an enemy. It almost felt as if it was there by necessity. And above all, it wasn't annoying. Just not really exciting. I would have more of an issue if the combat was frustrating to deal with.
Also the UI is butt-ugly. I'm a stickler for good UI. But this basically checks all of my "i hate this" boxes. It gets the job done, but it feels like an after-thought.
Other than that, I really REALLY enjoyed my time with this one. For less than $10 this is an absolute steal too. I think I clocked in about 7-8 hours. One of, if not my favorite game I've played all year. And up there with one of my favorite indies now.