I'm just a bug man, pondering my orbs.
I'm not sure how to sum up my experience with this game. It's a short and sweet puzzle game with inventive mechanics and a wonderful aesthetic.
The puzzles are clever and fun which isn't surprising considering the game's pedigree includes the lead designer from Limbo and Inside. Diving in and out of the various orb worlds, how you nest them within each other, and finding unique ways to traverse obstacles starts simply enough but gets totally mind-bendy by the end.
The aesthetics in this game are top notch. The worlds are mechanical yet biological, barren yet full of strange life. The art brings to mind the retro-futuristic sci-fi art of the 60s or 70s and it is coupled with a fantastic soundtrack full of atmospheric, moody synth pieces. It all lends to a sense of mystery that you want to uncover despite not having a single piece of dialogue or text.
Now while I said the puzzles were fun I don't think they were particularly challenging. Up until the very end I found most of the solutions to be almost immediately obvious and it was more a matter of execution than anything else. This is made worse by the fact that the game basically railroads you into solutions by being extremely linear, to the point that there's almost nothing you can do besides interact with whatever is right in front of you. Platforms and doors consistently lock behind you so there is no backtracking or free-roaming exploration of any kind.
When you have all the orbs it gets a little more trippy as you find ways for them all to interact, but again it's more a matter of execution since there are so few things you can interact with in each orb.
Without trying to sound overly harsh I think this is a fun yet trivial puzzle game carried by its stellar atmosphere and aesthetic. The mechanics are very cool but aren't utilized to their full potential except at the very end. It's not going to require the level of problem solving and note taking of a game like Tunic, but that's okay. I'd recommend if you are looking for a puzzle game that engages without being too challenging.
I'm not sure how to sum up my experience with this game. It's a short and sweet puzzle game with inventive mechanics and a wonderful aesthetic.
The puzzles are clever and fun which isn't surprising considering the game's pedigree includes the lead designer from Limbo and Inside. Diving in and out of the various orb worlds, how you nest them within each other, and finding unique ways to traverse obstacles starts simply enough but gets totally mind-bendy by the end.
The aesthetics in this game are top notch. The worlds are mechanical yet biological, barren yet full of strange life. The art brings to mind the retro-futuristic sci-fi art of the 60s or 70s and it is coupled with a fantastic soundtrack full of atmospheric, moody synth pieces. It all lends to a sense of mystery that you want to uncover despite not having a single piece of dialogue or text.
Now while I said the puzzles were fun I don't think they were particularly challenging. Up until the very end I found most of the solutions to be almost immediately obvious and it was more a matter of execution than anything else. This is made worse by the fact that the game basically railroads you into solutions by being extremely linear, to the point that there's almost nothing you can do besides interact with whatever is right in front of you. Platforms and doors consistently lock behind you so there is no backtracking or free-roaming exploration of any kind.
When you have all the orbs it gets a little more trippy as you find ways for them all to interact, but again it's more a matter of execution since there are so few things you can interact with in each orb.
Without trying to sound overly harsh I think this is a fun yet trivial puzzle game carried by its stellar atmosphere and aesthetic. The mechanics are very cool but aren't utilized to their full potential except at the very end. It's not going to require the level of problem solving and note taking of a game like Tunic, but that's okay. I'd recommend if you are looking for a puzzle game that engages without being too challenging.