(Due to an update that added a map feature, this review and my thoughts on the game are now outdated. Might rewrite this sometime in the future.)
Every good 3D platformer has "that one move." You know the one, the one that gives you a lot of distance, speed, and the ability to perform some wild shortcuts. Pseudoregalia knows this, and it knows that that shit rocks, and so the entire game is made around this feeling.
I really liked the open-ended structure of the game. Like everyone else, I was also a big fan of the Mario 64-like moveset, which allows you to find crafty solutions towards platforming challenges, some of which don't feel intended at all. There's a huge amount of versatility here, and an impressive amount of orders to tackle the world in. The music's pretty alright as well, and I enjoyed the N64 aesthetic. Its simplicity makes it very readable, and perfect for a game this reliant on nailing acrobatics.
As much as playing the game was fun, what I really struggled with was the idea of finishing it. We're talking about a game the length of two or three huge Zelda dungeons here, a Zelda dungeon where there is no compass or map to speak of. I understand that this was an intentional design choice, but depending on your ability to map things out or the way your intuition guides you, this will either be a smooth sailing experience, or an intensely frustrating slog. And as you cover more of the game's areas, the more likely the chances will be that you'll start running around in circles trying to figure out where was that one singular room that you missed.
Aside from my sense of direction being dogshit, I think it doesn't help that the game has a ton of doors leading in all sorts of direction, and not enough landmarks to distinguish where exactly are you. As you re-enter a room, you have a general sense of familiarity that you've been here before, but it'll be much more difficult for you to determine where you haven't. I understand not everyone agrees that this game should have a map, but I respectfully believe it should've been an optional thing in the Accessibility settings at least. Something that fills out as you go along, but doesn't show you the full picture. There's only so much fun I can have with the game's platforming, before I start getting anxious if I'm ever gonna find a way to progress or if this is as far as I'm ever gonna make it.
I've heard the developer is gonna be adding a map in soon, though, and I really appreciate that. I love Metroidvanias, but I cannot bear playing one without some degree of navigation. Part of what I love about these games is being able to chart a course once I get familiar with a majority of the map, like I'm a sea captain. Without a course to chart, I'm drifting across a lonely sea, without a goal to speak of, and that makes me no captain at all. There is appeal to "the sensation of being lost," but I can't really see it working in a Metroidvania game where you still have to hunt down that one ability in that one corner of the map. When the game starts asking me to stop being lost, but provides me no means to do so other than relying on my crappy memory.
In the end, much of this game's problems are actually my problem, but I can see it being a lot of other people's problems as well. Once that map gets added though, I could easily see myself bumping this game's rating up to 4 stars. I loved playing it. Without a map, I did not enjoy having to beat it.
Every good 3D platformer has "that one move." You know the one, the one that gives you a lot of distance, speed, and the ability to perform some wild shortcuts. Pseudoregalia knows this, and it knows that that shit rocks, and so the entire game is made around this feeling.
I really liked the open-ended structure of the game. Like everyone else, I was also a big fan of the Mario 64-like moveset, which allows you to find crafty solutions towards platforming challenges, some of which don't feel intended at all. There's a huge amount of versatility here, and an impressive amount of orders to tackle the world in. The music's pretty alright as well, and I enjoyed the N64 aesthetic. Its simplicity makes it very readable, and perfect for a game this reliant on nailing acrobatics.
As much as playing the game was fun, what I really struggled with was the idea of finishing it. We're talking about a game the length of two or three huge Zelda dungeons here, a Zelda dungeon where there is no compass or map to speak of. I understand that this was an intentional design choice, but depending on your ability to map things out or the way your intuition guides you, this will either be a smooth sailing experience, or an intensely frustrating slog. And as you cover more of the game's areas, the more likely the chances will be that you'll start running around in circles trying to figure out where was that one singular room that you missed.
Aside from my sense of direction being dogshit, I think it doesn't help that the game has a ton of doors leading in all sorts of direction, and not enough landmarks to distinguish where exactly are you. As you re-enter a room, you have a general sense of familiarity that you've been here before, but it'll be much more difficult for you to determine where you haven't. I understand not everyone agrees that this game should have a map, but I respectfully believe it should've been an optional thing in the Accessibility settings at least. Something that fills out as you go along, but doesn't show you the full picture. There's only so much fun I can have with the game's platforming, before I start getting anxious if I'm ever gonna find a way to progress or if this is as far as I'm ever gonna make it.
I've heard the developer is gonna be adding a map in soon, though, and I really appreciate that. I love Metroidvanias, but I cannot bear playing one without some degree of navigation. Part of what I love about these games is being able to chart a course once I get familiar with a majority of the map, like I'm a sea captain. Without a course to chart, I'm drifting across a lonely sea, without a goal to speak of, and that makes me no captain at all. There is appeal to "the sensation of being lost," but I can't really see it working in a Metroidvania game where you still have to hunt down that one ability in that one corner of the map. When the game starts asking me to stop being lost, but provides me no means to do so other than relying on my crappy memory.
In the end, much of this game's problems are actually my problem, but I can see it being a lot of other people's problems as well. Once that map gets added though, I could easily see myself bumping this game's rating up to 4 stars. I loved playing it. Without a map, I did not enjoy having to beat it.