This isn't the type of game I thought I'd ever say this about, but the presentation is absolutely outstanding here. I've been following this series for quite some time (I think I came across it on Sonic Retro) and they're all very solid mechanically compared to a lot of the mediocre 2D platformers that end up on Steam. I always appreciated the musical and visual variety but this newest entry is on another level. Each level has its own song, all of them bright and cheery electronic that's a bit reminiscent of old video game jams if they were made with 90s analog synths.
Love is a very simple game in every sense of the word. The game has a trim color palette of one color for the level, black for the background, and white for the player and obstacles/interact-ables. The series was a bit confusing at first with communicating the difference between "hazardous white" and "helpful white" but the design language evolved in the second game and here things are more clear than ever. But the real impressive stuff is the level visuals. Each level really captures the imagination in representing spaces in these strict limitations, in ways I never would have expected.
Each Love game comes with more stuff and features the older games included. This one lets you go down memory lane with the new features and animations, or switch the style to be more classic if you wish. It's a great value proposition and also lets you appreciate how much these games have improved over time. But it also shows how solid the design always was. For a game trying to capture a fantasy history in which old PCs had platformers as smooth as the consoles of the time had, Love 3 nails that "rose tinted glasses" approach with such grace that it's convinced me to give more time and attention to the throwback indie movement I've been neglecting for a while.
Love is a very simple game in every sense of the word. The game has a trim color palette of one color for the level, black for the background, and white for the player and obstacles/interact-ables. The series was a bit confusing at first with communicating the difference between "hazardous white" and "helpful white" but the design language evolved in the second game and here things are more clear than ever. But the real impressive stuff is the level visuals. Each level really captures the imagination in representing spaces in these strict limitations, in ways I never would have expected.
Each Love game comes with more stuff and features the older games included. This one lets you go down memory lane with the new features and animations, or switch the style to be more classic if you wish. It's a great value proposition and also lets you appreciate how much these games have improved over time. But it also shows how solid the design always was. For a game trying to capture a fantasy history in which old PCs had platformers as smooth as the consoles of the time had, Love 3 nails that "rose tinted glasses" approach with such grace that it's convinced me to give more time and attention to the throwback indie movement I've been neglecting for a while.