Dandara | 18th Apr, 2020 | 9:24hrs | rating: 2.5/5
A very special “platformer” where you can’t run, only jump between designated spots.
GAMEPLAY: The controls are snappy and feel fresh and fun, and within minutes I was zapping between walls, taking out enemies and traversing the hallways. Unfortunately there isn’t much variation at all (the weapon upgrades don’t change up the gameplay), so the game loses steam and excitement pretty quickly. The level design is initially more about spatial awareness than most other metroidvanias, but gets more plain later on.
AUDIOVISUALLY: The pixelart is above average, with smooth zooming and rotation effects. The audio is even better, with punchy effects and cool if unmemorable music.
STORY/PRESENTATION: The story and lore was fascinating at first, especially the unusual environment/character design, but like the rest of the game, the first hour is much more interesting than the rest.
It started so promising, but the levels got blander and the gameplay didn’t change things up enough. It’s a very difficult game too, and not in a very satisfying way! I had more fun selecting unlimited energy in the “cheat menu”, so I could blast away with the more enjoyable weapon upgrades without worrying. All in all, great concept but needed more ideas.