This is a highly atmospheric FPS/platformer with a focus on exploration, and it is the explorwtion aspect which I find the most interesting — there are health upgrades hidden around the levels like secrets in classic FPS games, and the weapon mechanics seem to have been crafted to facilitate and encourage exploration — ammunition pools start off very limited, which increases the value of ammo pickups found around the maps, but there are ammo capacity upgrades on each level, making sure that you get progressively more capable throughout the game, assuming that you bother finding them. The levels generally lack a clear direction, and end up relying on the player making their way through and exploring the stages to achieve their objectives, even if the way to achieve it was not initially clear
This sense of exploration also extends to the game's direction on a macro scale, as the game frequently switches gears both in terms of tone, taking on a more mysterious and unsettling tone in the beginning, and leaning towards comedy by the end, and gameplay, as there are not only frequent boss fights and level gimmicks, but also completely new sets of gameplay mechanics being introduced in certain levels. This made the game a joy to play through, as it never let any one aspect of it get stale or boring, and frequently switched things up.
Speaking of switching things up, the game's environments are mostly distinct, with the game's unique look being expressed through many varied environments; Whatever environments might look similar, the game's excellent soundtrack (coupled with the aforementioned gameplay gimmicks) will be sure to set each area apart in the player's mind. The game is quite frankly beautiful, and though I do wish that the game had baked-in lighting, so that I might see what that would look like, I cannot deny that the flat lighting does wonders to make the game feel more dreamlike.
This dreamlike atmosphere also extends to the story, with every character having exaggerated designs and motions, and having very expressive and memorable dialogue, whilst maintaining the surreal feel of the whole setting.
This last point brings me to my one real point of contention with the game — the story. While the atmosphere builds itself up as mysterious and surreal, the story itself is played quite straight, and there is no real poignancy or insight to be found — to be honest, I dare say that it kind of feels like the whole journey was pointless, a point which the game itself seems to lampshade. Whatever the case, the story is not all that important since the atmosphere and exploration are clearly the draw of the game, but the inclusion of philosophical discourse could have elevated this game to something I could truly recommend to everyone in my mind.
Finally, the FPS gameplay. The game features an interesting projectile system, where all of your shots arc in a realistic way. This makes aiming slightly more engaging than simply using a hitscan weapon, but frankly, I didn't find the actual FPS gameplay to be all that exciting — I spent most of the game circlestrafing whilst shooting enemies with my sling, because the stingy ammo limits made me hesitant to use the ammo at all. There is great enemy variety both in terms of appearance and attack patterns, but the sling was simply too versatile for me to have considered using other weapons unless I was surrounded, which is a shame.
Overall, if you think you'd be interested on the game based on the screenshots — go for it, it's actually more interesting to play than it might look. If the atmosphere of the game does not immediately appeal to you based on the screenshots, then you might not be the right audience for the game. I myself found the whole experience thoroughly enjoyable, but I was immediately interested in the game from seeing its page on Steam.
This sense of exploration also extends to the game's direction on a macro scale, as the game frequently switches gears both in terms of tone, taking on a more mysterious and unsettling tone in the beginning, and leaning towards comedy by the end, and gameplay, as there are not only frequent boss fights and level gimmicks, but also completely new sets of gameplay mechanics being introduced in certain levels. This made the game a joy to play through, as it never let any one aspect of it get stale or boring, and frequently switched things up.
Speaking of switching things up, the game's environments are mostly distinct, with the game's unique look being expressed through many varied environments; Whatever environments might look similar, the game's excellent soundtrack (coupled with the aforementioned gameplay gimmicks) will be sure to set each area apart in the player's mind. The game is quite frankly beautiful, and though I do wish that the game had baked-in lighting, so that I might see what that would look like, I cannot deny that the flat lighting does wonders to make the game feel more dreamlike.
This dreamlike atmosphere also extends to the story, with every character having exaggerated designs and motions, and having very expressive and memorable dialogue, whilst maintaining the surreal feel of the whole setting.
This last point brings me to my one real point of contention with the game — the story. While the atmosphere builds itself up as mysterious and surreal, the story itself is played quite straight, and there is no real poignancy or insight to be found — to be honest, I dare say that it kind of feels like the whole journey was pointless, a point which the game itself seems to lampshade. Whatever the case, the story is not all that important since the atmosphere and exploration are clearly the draw of the game, but the inclusion of philosophical discourse could have elevated this game to something I could truly recommend to everyone in my mind.
Finally, the FPS gameplay. The game features an interesting projectile system, where all of your shots arc in a realistic way. This makes aiming slightly more engaging than simply using a hitscan weapon, but frankly, I didn't find the actual FPS gameplay to be all that exciting — I spent most of the game circlestrafing whilst shooting enemies with my sling, because the stingy ammo limits made me hesitant to use the ammo at all. There is great enemy variety both in terms of appearance and attack patterns, but the sling was simply too versatile for me to have considered using other weapons unless I was surrounded, which is a shame.
Overall, if you think you'd be interested on the game based on the screenshots — go for it, it's actually more interesting to play than it might look. If the atmosphere of the game does not immediately appeal to you based on the screenshots, then you might not be the right audience for the game. I myself found the whole experience thoroughly enjoyable, but I was immediately interested in the game from seeing its page on Steam.