Technically it's a decent puzzle game, but it was not a very rewarding experience in the end, if anything I feel tired after playing it, for many different reasons, some of the puzzles were unfair, and the game does not do enough visually to be relaxing. On a side note, the format has nothing to do with Limbo, just a similar look, there is no visual storytelling or constant traps, not relevant for the review, just hard to escape the comparison.
The game has about 4 stages (around 3.5 hours of gameplay), and all of the areas look the same, there is no aesthetic change outside of new gameplay mechanics that are introduced with each location, and what do you get for doing 4 hours of challenging puzzles, absolutely nothing, there is no story which is fine I guess, but there is also no ending too, it just ends after the last puzzle and a short walk. I am not really sure what I expected, maybe some farewell animation, or some final destination for the character, but you telling me, that after 4 hours of grinding these hard puzzles, I get nothing? Like, you have to find something to motivate the player, if it's not a story, you could give each location some character, and I get it's a simple aesthetic, but you can still change the hue from blue to another color and add some different particles, just so you not feeling like you playing the same level the entire time.
Actually, there are some very smart puzzles if you don't mind a little challenge, using manual teleports can be thought-provoking, it's just that there are various issues that can make them unintuitive. First of all, the game does not introduce its core 'teleport" mechanics until the second stage, so it may feel more generic than it actually is. When you teleport around you have to maintain some momentum in order to do "precise" jumps, and in my experience, it could take 5 to 10 tries in some sections, just a waste of time because the margin for error is very small. The game also has a bit of a problem with the trial and error, you simply can't solve some of the puzzles due to limited vision, you pretty much have to do them wrong a few times until you see the path ahead (reloading some checkpoints feels very much intentional). There is also a mirror gameplay where you have to direct the light, except that sometimes you can't tell which wall is solid and which one is transparent.
[h1] Pros: [/h1]
(+) I would argue that on a technical level, the puzzles in this game are very creative once you have the access to multiple teleports, I enjoyed the challenge up to a certain point, but it was a little too much, the only reward you get for solving puzzles is more puzzles and it just felt like a grind, especially when you are required to do the precise jumps consistently.
(+) It's nice that you had some optional collectibles, but you need something to actually make it worth collecting them, maybe a gallery or optional lantern skins, achievements perhaps.
[h1] Feedback: [/h1]
[u] Visuals/Stage Variety [/u] - in general I think you should reward the player and give me something for solving hard puzzles, you need a little cooldown time too, not just logic grinding. All of the stages are the same visually, at least give them different hue, maybe a few small details so each world has a different theme to it. There is not enough music in the game, felt like I was listening to the same song the entire time, if I am not mistaken. It would be a good idea to have a small playable narrative cutscene between each stage, just to have something to look forward, and some type of ending as well, maybe a little farewell cutscene, not just abrupt credits.
[u] Puzzle Issues [/u] - I think you should make the trampoline jumps a bit easier to execute, my instinct is to press it as soon as he is going up cuz that makes sense, but as far as the game is concerned, you have to wait a bit longer. The whole trial and error with the puzzles was pretty annoying, not much you can do about that now, I mean you literally can't solve some puzzles on the first try, so you end up reloading 2 or 3 times in hard areas. The whole thing with the light going through walls was kinda stupid, and it's not even consistent, some gates block it, and some don't, what logic is that.
[u] Collection [/u] - for the things that you collect, maybe give them more purpose, if you have some concept art, you know, have some menu unlocks or you could even have some cosmetics like lantern colors.
[u] Controls [/u] - no partial controller support as of this review, and also you have to use WASD+Mouse AND arrows too. I mean you really should never design a game this way where I have to take the hand from the mouse, you could just double up on the buttons you already have since it's just a simple switch thing.
[b] Overall Thoughts: 5/10 [/b]
I kinda enjoyed the game, even though I was occasionally annoyed and wanted to stop playing it so many times. What really tilted me is that I played the whole thing for nothing, no visual changes, no narrative segments, and most of all, literally nothing in the end. Yea I mean, the puzzles were not bad on average, like yea some of them were a bit unfair, but if you could sandwich the game with a more "visual" experience, it would be serviceable. Right now your game is like 95% puzzles and 5% experience, at least give me 80-20, something to motivate the player to actually keep going, some variety, something charming.
[code]Niche, obscure and underrated games: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31294838-Hidden-Gem-Discovery/ [/code]
