Skylar & Plux is a short 3D platformer that tries to capture that PS2 era vibe. Even if it's only about an hour and a half long, it still offers some fun gameplay and solid level design. It's also kind of cool to be the first one to review this game on this site lol.
Gameplay:
In this game, you take control of Skylar: a silent anthropomorphic cat person with a small but solid moveset. The controls feel really smooth. There's a jetpack which can be used to hover, high jump, and long jump. There's a limited time-slowing to use for slowing fast moving platformers. There's this magnetic glove thing which can be used for a variety of things. And of course, it wouldn't be a Ratchet & Clank inspired platformer without a grappling hook. All of these factors mixed with the good level design make for some really fun gameplay.
Skylar & Plux has three levels plus the hub and the final boss. As I mentioned, they have some good design and are just the right length. There's both platforming to be done and puzzles to be solved. There's also both hidden and not-so-hidden cages to find and unlock around the levels which reward the player with increased health. There are still a few moments where the design is iffy though, but it's only some very minor issues.
Story and Characters:
Skylar & Plux has a very lighthearted story that isn't really interesting at all. It does at least work well for the game's length. But still, I didn't find myself caring for the game's characters or their world at all. The writing is also really bad. There's a lot of banter between the companion character, Plux, and the main villain, CRT. There's a lot of attempts at humor in the dialogue and it's almost always pretty cringeworthy. At least the voice acting is alright.
Sound and Visuals:
The music is pretty standard but the sound design is pretty nice for the most part. The cutscenes were oddly loud for some reason, though that might just be because they don't abide by the volume adjustments in the settings. Still, I'd count it as a flaw either way.
The visuals are really good. The cutscenes are done through these well-drawn and mostly still images. The character design is pretty good for the most part. The environments are especially awesome and were probably one of my favorite parts of the game. However, the character models for the two mains are pretty bad. I'm no 3D modeling expert, but the faces on the models are ugly. They just look nothing like they do in the cutscenes and official art.
Conclusion:
As I mentioned at the beginning, Skylar & Plux is a short but fun time. Even with its flaws, I'd still say it's worth checking out. If you're a Jak & Daxter or Ratchet & Clank or, heck, a 3D platformer fan, I'd recommend getting this game if you ever find it on sale for cheap.
Gameplay:
In this game, you take control of Skylar: a silent anthropomorphic cat person with a small but solid moveset. The controls feel really smooth. There's a jetpack which can be used to hover, high jump, and long jump. There's a limited time-slowing to use for slowing fast moving platformers. There's this magnetic glove thing which can be used for a variety of things. And of course, it wouldn't be a Ratchet & Clank inspired platformer without a grappling hook. All of these factors mixed with the good level design make for some really fun gameplay.
Skylar & Plux has three levels plus the hub and the final boss. As I mentioned, they have some good design and are just the right length. There's both platforming to be done and puzzles to be solved. There's also both hidden and not-so-hidden cages to find and unlock around the levels which reward the player with increased health. There are still a few moments where the design is iffy though, but it's only some very minor issues.
Story and Characters:
Skylar & Plux has a very lighthearted story that isn't really interesting at all. It does at least work well for the game's length. But still, I didn't find myself caring for the game's characters or their world at all. The writing is also really bad. There's a lot of banter between the companion character, Plux, and the main villain, CRT. There's a lot of attempts at humor in the dialogue and it's almost always pretty cringeworthy. At least the voice acting is alright.
Sound and Visuals:
The music is pretty standard but the sound design is pretty nice for the most part. The cutscenes were oddly loud for some reason, though that might just be because they don't abide by the volume adjustments in the settings. Still, I'd count it as a flaw either way.
The visuals are really good. The cutscenes are done through these well-drawn and mostly still images. The character design is pretty good for the most part. The environments are especially awesome and were probably one of my favorite parts of the game. However, the character models for the two mains are pretty bad. I'm no 3D modeling expert, but the faces on the models are ugly. They just look nothing like they do in the cutscenes and official art.
Conclusion:
As I mentioned at the beginning, Skylar & Plux is a short but fun time. Even with its flaws, I'd still say it's worth checking out. If you're a Jak & Daxter or Ratchet & Clank or, heck, a 3D platformer fan, I'd recommend getting this game if you ever find it on sale for cheap.