NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits is another WiiWare title that was ported over to Windows with all its strengths and defects. On the plus side, you get a decent platformer that otherwise would’ve been lost with the Wii Shop’s closure in 2019; on the negative side, it’s unmistakably a game made exclusively for Nintendo’s iconic console. As I noted in my review of fellow WiiWare release Lost Winds (https://backloggd.com/u/RedBackLoggd/review/279131/), the Wiimotes (pre-Motion+) were not quite 1:1, and so games produced with their control scheme in-mind had to adapt accordingly. Unfortunately, that means the precision of a mouse is lost with the interface, and so those of you used to conducting sharp maneuverings with one may have to spend time readjusting yourselves.
But what exactly are you using the mouse for? Well, while movement is assigned to your typical WASD layout, your cursor controls the extra abilities of telekinesis, wind manipulation, and later lighting. Though they work well as far lacking bugs, the fact remains that there is a bit of a lag in the dragging aspect. It’s totally fine for big objects since one expects lumbering with increased mass; however, trying to pinpoint smaller items or divert their pathways is a bit of a chore, though nowhere near the level of taxation as Lost Winds’s.
Thunderbolts, on the other hand, are reduced to the equivalent of a light gun shooter, requiring you to aim and click ala a PC Duck Hunt (I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wii Zapper was originally devised in mind for NyxQuest). Things initially start out pretty basic, but by the end you’ll be spamming it so much that, even with an ergonomic peripheral, my wrist still got sore.
NyxQuest’s platforming is fortunately adequate due to the Kid Icarus set-up of 5 jumps before recharging. Combined with six hitpoints and the capability to interchange your leaps with a limited glide, and you get a lot of leeway in terms of acceptable mistakes. It’s a pity, then, that the game doesn’t do much in terms of level creativity. Puzzles are rudimentary, checkpoints pointlessly spaced far, and obstacles borrowed from superior entries in the genre. It’s not that you won’t have a decent time playing the game, more-so that you can get a far better experience from emulating older SNES titles like DKC or Super Mario World.
Graphically, NyxQuest isn’t too bad. It’s true indie publications on the Wii were always at a disadvantage due to the outdated hardware, but developer Over The Top Games managed to craft a very resplendent world amidst its post-disaster theme (more on that later). Yeah, the desert has reclaimed most of civilization, however there are still strong signs of humanity with all the sandstone structures, brick configurations, and even staircases. Granted, NyxQuest is channeling Ancient Greek aesthetics, so the majority of its formations are objects seen in museums and other fictional media: painted clay pottery, towering tufa columns, and yes, your foreboding statues of deities. They are recreated faithfully, and OTT even adds to the esteemed culture with cutscenes drawn in the same style as those amphoric illustrations. In addition, I was also a big fan of the backgrounds- while simple renditions of different phases of the sun, the moving clouds and static lighting contributed to the atmosphere greatly.
Regrettably, I cannot lavish universal praise. Shortcuts were taken in a number of small ways that add up in the long-run: when pushing or standing on things there is often a gap between the respective limb and surface; shadows completely disappear when you jump (nevermind being nonexistent for enemies), things emerging out of the sand phase through it without even a superimposed cloud of granulars, and for a title set after the end of the world, architectural material is abnormally sleek-looking.
The aural design is outright pathetic. There’s no voice acting outside of Betty Boop-type grunts for main protagonist Nyx and a rumbling hum for the Gods and Goddesses that sounds like Primitive Patrick’s breathing from SB-129 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfGEUmkQv1k), yet that would’ve been fine had the SFX at least been up-to-par. But no, you’ve got some of the most blatantly copy/pasted stock noises you can imagine. Bird demons caw like seagulls, dragons like warthogs, spiked poles like that whooshing noise from 90s food commercials, and to top it all off, (unsynchronized) footfalls emit a crunchy noise despite the lack of visible debris on terrain. I don’t want to act like everything is bad (the burst of a flaming savepoint or flapping of Nyx’s wings are good counterexamples), but the overall product is definitely disappointing. Luckily, the score by Steven Gutheinz manages to stave off a complete flop by the sound trifecta as it is genuinely sublime. It leans heavily into orchestral motifs to convey that symphonic music we’ve come to associate with depictions of Greek lore, with a particular emphasis on stringed and percussion instrumentations.
On that note, I’ll briefly talk about the story because there isn’t much to say. NyxQuest is an alternate retelling of the famed Icarus tale wherein the craftsman befriended a young woman in the Heavens named Nyx before losing his wings to an onslaught by the titan Helios (99% sure he was a God in the original mythos). Nyx then heads down to Earth to find her friend.
Despite the interesting premise, the writers never delve into what exactly caused Helios to randomly turn on mankind and the inhabitants of Mount Olympos, and the end dialogue between Icarus and Nyx about cycles leads me to believe the whole thing was intended to be a metaphor for taking action against climate change. Regardless, like with most platformers, the narrative isn’t going to be the big draw, it’s the gameplay, and if anything I said above piques your interest, then this may be a solid diversion for you. At 3 hours, it can be completed in one sitting (more if you opt to go for the 20 useless collectibles), so it’s certainly worth the $2.99 asking price. The question you’ll have to answer is whether it seems like a fun timekiller.
But what exactly are you using the mouse for? Well, while movement is assigned to your typical WASD layout, your cursor controls the extra abilities of telekinesis, wind manipulation, and later lighting. Though they work well as far lacking bugs, the fact remains that there is a bit of a lag in the dragging aspect. It’s totally fine for big objects since one expects lumbering with increased mass; however, trying to pinpoint smaller items or divert their pathways is a bit of a chore, though nowhere near the level of taxation as Lost Winds’s.
Thunderbolts, on the other hand, are reduced to the equivalent of a light gun shooter, requiring you to aim and click ala a PC Duck Hunt (I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wii Zapper was originally devised in mind for NyxQuest). Things initially start out pretty basic, but by the end you’ll be spamming it so much that, even with an ergonomic peripheral, my wrist still got sore.
NyxQuest’s platforming is fortunately adequate due to the Kid Icarus set-up of 5 jumps before recharging. Combined with six hitpoints and the capability to interchange your leaps with a limited glide, and you get a lot of leeway in terms of acceptable mistakes. It’s a pity, then, that the game doesn’t do much in terms of level creativity. Puzzles are rudimentary, checkpoints pointlessly spaced far, and obstacles borrowed from superior entries in the genre. It’s not that you won’t have a decent time playing the game, more-so that you can get a far better experience from emulating older SNES titles like DKC or Super Mario World.
Graphically, NyxQuest isn’t too bad. It’s true indie publications on the Wii were always at a disadvantage due to the outdated hardware, but developer Over The Top Games managed to craft a very resplendent world amidst its post-disaster theme (more on that later). Yeah, the desert has reclaimed most of civilization, however there are still strong signs of humanity with all the sandstone structures, brick configurations, and even staircases. Granted, NyxQuest is channeling Ancient Greek aesthetics, so the majority of its formations are objects seen in museums and other fictional media: painted clay pottery, towering tufa columns, and yes, your foreboding statues of deities. They are recreated faithfully, and OTT even adds to the esteemed culture with cutscenes drawn in the same style as those amphoric illustrations. In addition, I was also a big fan of the backgrounds- while simple renditions of different phases of the sun, the moving clouds and static lighting contributed to the atmosphere greatly.
Regrettably, I cannot lavish universal praise. Shortcuts were taken in a number of small ways that add up in the long-run: when pushing or standing on things there is often a gap between the respective limb and surface; shadows completely disappear when you jump (nevermind being nonexistent for enemies), things emerging out of the sand phase through it without even a superimposed cloud of granulars, and for a title set after the end of the world, architectural material is abnormally sleek-looking.
The aural design is outright pathetic. There’s no voice acting outside of Betty Boop-type grunts for main protagonist Nyx and a rumbling hum for the Gods and Goddesses that sounds like Primitive Patrick’s breathing from SB-129 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfGEUmkQv1k), yet that would’ve been fine had the SFX at least been up-to-par. But no, you’ve got some of the most blatantly copy/pasted stock noises you can imagine. Bird demons caw like seagulls, dragons like warthogs, spiked poles like that whooshing noise from 90s food commercials, and to top it all off, (unsynchronized) footfalls emit a crunchy noise despite the lack of visible debris on terrain. I don’t want to act like everything is bad (the burst of a flaming savepoint or flapping of Nyx’s wings are good counterexamples), but the overall product is definitely disappointing. Luckily, the score by Steven Gutheinz manages to stave off a complete flop by the sound trifecta as it is genuinely sublime. It leans heavily into orchestral motifs to convey that symphonic music we’ve come to associate with depictions of Greek lore, with a particular emphasis on stringed and percussion instrumentations.
On that note, I’ll briefly talk about the story because there isn’t much to say. NyxQuest is an alternate retelling of the famed Icarus tale wherein the craftsman befriended a young woman in the Heavens named Nyx before losing his wings to an onslaught by the titan Helios (99% sure he was a God in the original mythos). Nyx then heads down to Earth to find her friend.
Despite the interesting premise, the writers never delve into what exactly caused Helios to randomly turn on mankind and the inhabitants of Mount Olympos, and the end dialogue between Icarus and Nyx about cycles leads me to believe the whole thing was intended to be a metaphor for taking action against climate change. Regardless, like with most platformers, the narrative isn’t going to be the big draw, it’s the gameplay, and if anything I said above piques your interest, then this may be a solid diversion for you. At 3 hours, it can be completed in one sitting (more if you opt to go for the 20 useless collectibles), so it’s certainly worth the $2.99 asking price. The question you’ll have to answer is whether it seems like a fun timekiller.