Immaculate 3D platforming with a moveset so nuanced and satisfying that it's only rivaled by Mario 64 and Odyssey. A mysterious world with some of the most attractive low-poly artwork I've seen in a throwback indie. Music that brings out true childlike wonder. Everything in Pseudoregalia comes together so perfectly that it's heartbreaking as you start to recognize the one element so non-functional that it tears everything else down: navigation.
I took 3 times as long as everyone else on this one because it is utterly brutal if you have a poor sense of direction. I entered rooms again and again and there's nothing to stop you or indicate that you've been somewhere before or if you're moving backwards through something. This goes on and on and on and even after cheating and looking up maps online I still ended up having the same problems again and again. Unlocking shortcuts is a punishment as it just adds more paths you might accidentally walk down. I feel so defeated by this aspect of the game, and it's not like I can't handle other metroidvanias that don't have maps when they take care to make the flow of the gameworld direct you around and have numerous landmarks. Beyond the blue ivy which often shows platforms which you can get to, there's very little doing that job. I honestly wanted to cry. If you have a bad sense of direction and/or memory, use a map or wait for one to be patched in like the developer has mentioned they'll do.
I'll probably add another star or so if they add a well-implemented map system or otherwise make finding your way around not a massive chore. There's so much to love here and I truly hope to see this polished into something incredible.
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if this game came out in 1998 Sybil would have more pieces of pornographic art of them on mid 2000s deviantart than there are grains of sand on the earth. All humans alive today would be furries.
I took 3 times as long as everyone else on this one because it is utterly brutal if you have a poor sense of direction. I entered rooms again and again and there's nothing to stop you or indicate that you've been somewhere before or if you're moving backwards through something. This goes on and on and on and even after cheating and looking up maps online I still ended up having the same problems again and again. Unlocking shortcuts is a punishment as it just adds more paths you might accidentally walk down. I feel so defeated by this aspect of the game, and it's not like I can't handle other metroidvanias that don't have maps when they take care to make the flow of the gameworld direct you around and have numerous landmarks. Beyond the blue ivy which often shows platforms which you can get to, there's very little doing that job. I honestly wanted to cry. If you have a bad sense of direction and/or memory, use a map or wait for one to be patched in like the developer has mentioned they'll do.
I'll probably add another star or so if they add a well-implemented map system or otherwise make finding your way around not a massive chore. There's so much to love here and I truly hope to see this polished into something incredible.
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if this game came out in 1998 Sybil would have more pieces of pornographic art of them on mid 2000s deviantart than there are grains of sand on the earth. All humans alive today would be furries.