TLDR: A fun replayable but smaller metroidvania with a really nice artstyle and theme and multiple endings 7/10
(This review is relatively spoiler free, I will only discuss things that are on the game's steam page or are in the first hour of the gameplay)
Sundered was the second major release by indie game studio Thunder Lotus Games, releasing in 2017 it is a Metroidvania game that has its basis in lovecraftian horror and creatures from that mythos. At the time of review I have completed the game around 3 times due to the multiple endings of the game having achieved everything in the game.
The visuals of the game are phenomenal as expected of a hand drawn game, some of the backgrounds for the game are gorgeous to look at with enemy design also being nice especially for the bosses. The visuals are quintessential to the lovecraftian experience and I like how the devs very much focused on that aspect.
Story- Story wise I can't really discuss much as this is a spoiler free review, I will say that the multiple endings for the game do allow for your actions to form their own story and you can form your own backstory for the protagonist and their actions
Gameplay wise Sundered is simple, you have a jump, normal attack, upward attack, downward attack and a dodge, as you go along you unlock abilities in a classic metroidvania fashion that modify gameplay but your core will always be these mechanics, the abilities you can unlock are used to solve puzzles that were previously inaccessible. The game also does have a souls-like levelling system with enemies killed dropping a currency used to level up from a levelling tree and perks can be found across the game to slightly alter certain parts of gameplay. The levels in the game have certain rooms that are immutable and won't change even if you die but a majority of the game is a procedurally generated dungeon so after each death you have to navigate your way back to where you were and is an interesting way to make sure gameplay isn't too 'samey'. This does fall flat after a while as you view the game less as an ever changing labyrinth trying to kill you and more of detours and yellow tape that prevent you from getting to the area you want. Another mechanic that does this is the horde mechanic where a small tide of enemies will spawn and you have to either deal with them or run which is a valid option, these hordes go from a dangerous instance to more of an annoyance later on and become a good grinding opportunity near the end. The game does features some bosses and minibosses, without spoiling things I would say I liked each of the boss fights but the minibosses were a bit hit or miss with me.
Price wise I would say this game is a nice fit in the $20 range, it does have some replayability and I feel that my money was well spent. To beat the game it will take around 12 hours and 20 to 100% the game (according to how long to beat), the game does also have 4 player local co-op which I have not tried out but it can be remote played with friends so I would say check it out.
Overall its a decent buy at its base price and I would definitely recommend checking it out during a steam sale, gameplay wise it does get a bit stale after a while but the artstyle is fun throughout and along with boss fights keep you continuing 7/10
(This review is relatively spoiler free, I will only discuss things that are on the game's steam page or are in the first hour of the gameplay)
Sundered was the second major release by indie game studio Thunder Lotus Games, releasing in 2017 it is a Metroidvania game that has its basis in lovecraftian horror and creatures from that mythos. At the time of review I have completed the game around 3 times due to the multiple endings of the game having achieved everything in the game.
The visuals of the game are phenomenal as expected of a hand drawn game, some of the backgrounds for the game are gorgeous to look at with enemy design also being nice especially for the bosses. The visuals are quintessential to the lovecraftian experience and I like how the devs very much focused on that aspect.
Story- Story wise I can't really discuss much as this is a spoiler free review, I will say that the multiple endings for the game do allow for your actions to form their own story and you can form your own backstory for the protagonist and their actions
Gameplay wise Sundered is simple, you have a jump, normal attack, upward attack, downward attack and a dodge, as you go along you unlock abilities in a classic metroidvania fashion that modify gameplay but your core will always be these mechanics, the abilities you can unlock are used to solve puzzles that were previously inaccessible. The game also does have a souls-like levelling system with enemies killed dropping a currency used to level up from a levelling tree and perks can be found across the game to slightly alter certain parts of gameplay. The levels in the game have certain rooms that are immutable and won't change even if you die but a majority of the game is a procedurally generated dungeon so after each death you have to navigate your way back to where you were and is an interesting way to make sure gameplay isn't too 'samey'. This does fall flat after a while as you view the game less as an ever changing labyrinth trying to kill you and more of detours and yellow tape that prevent you from getting to the area you want. Another mechanic that does this is the horde mechanic where a small tide of enemies will spawn and you have to either deal with them or run which is a valid option, these hordes go from a dangerous instance to more of an annoyance later on and become a good grinding opportunity near the end. The game does features some bosses and minibosses, without spoiling things I would say I liked each of the boss fights but the minibosses were a bit hit or miss with me.
Price wise I would say this game is a nice fit in the $20 range, it does have some replayability and I feel that my money was well spent. To beat the game it will take around 12 hours and 20 to 100% the game (according to how long to beat), the game does also have 4 player local co-op which I have not tried out but it can be remote played with friends so I would say check it out.
Overall its a decent buy at its base price and I would definitely recommend checking it out during a steam sale, gameplay wise it does get a bit stale after a while but the artstyle is fun throughout and along with boss fights keep you continuing 7/10