Cosmic Leap

Análise.

⠀

I am writing this review after "only" 50 minutes of playtime. "Only", because this is a very fast game, where levels should be finished in under 10 seconds sometimes. So 50 minutes is a looong time for playing this game and feels like 5 hours or so. Whether you are looking for a few minutes of distraction or want to try a speedrun after mastering all levels forth and back, this game is well worth its small price. Pro: - Each level is more or less easy to win, but hard to nearly impossible to master - I like the school grade measuring system for level success. Makes you want to try it "only one more time" ;-) - the retro-modern, cathode-ray tube, 8-Bit, pseudo-3D graphics - Support! The game creator/programmer was able to help me with a specific technical issue within hours. Double plus LIKE! Neutral: - the storyline. Not every game must have one. This one fits into the overall game look and feel, but I would not have missed it if it did not have one. Cons: - when playing for a while, the music may get a bit monotonous. This is my personal experience, which may not be applicable to other players. [removed]Cons: - possible issues with screen resolution in full screen mode. Unity does not remember the set screen resolution. This is a Unity platform specific flaw on some systems (like mine, unfortunately) for which the programmer cannot be blamed for. Windowed mode works fine, so this is no real issue. [Edit Mar 24th: solved. The game creator reactivated the Unity config screen which allows to set fullscreen in the correct resolution. Again: double plus LIKE!]

Cosmic Leap is a great little adventure game whose voxel art approach to graphics and arcade-type sounds give it a retro feeling. Essentially, we move (jump) from one planet to another only to reach our spaceship. Along the way we can collect coins and if you are quick enough you can also jump into another rocket ship! You can collect characters beside the different spaceships. It's all about timing your jumps carefully; it's one of those games that requires some patience on your end but it's well worth the trouble. I checked the developer's website and video games are not his major profile but are rather considered "sideline projects". Have fun and blast away!

[h1] Jump from one planet to another. Better alternatives: Robonauts or Orbital Gear. [/h1]

The controls suck. It's a crapshoot whether you'll stop, move clockwise, or move counterclockwise. And this is one of those games that requires precise timing of controls. So that's kind of a big deal. The tougher levels just give you more obstacles and less time to react to them, and a single mistake means restarting the level. So it feels less like skillful maneuvering and more like memorizing which buttons to press at which time. More frustrating than fun, IMO. It's also really short, but that's understandable at this price point.

Cosmic Leap's simplistic approach and minimalistic graphics are interspersed with varied, fun character designs and levels which often change up the base gameplay. For example, on one set of planets warp points are scattered throughout the level, which you have to jump into to hop out of on the other side before running into spikes which will kill you, while on another set of levels you control [spoiler]two characters simultaneously and must get both to safety in the escaping rocketship located[/spoiler] somewhere else in the level. Cosmic Leap's controls definitely take some getting used to, however I didn't find them as cumbersome as many others in the review section. That being said, I used a controller (Xbox One USB) as the game recommends. The game's simple, initial mechanic of "rotate around a planet and time your stopping and jumping to progress" is pretty straightforward. Your character continues to move forward clockwise (or counter-clockwise) around whatever celestial body they are currently on, unless the player opts to stop their forward momentum by making them stop completely or move counter-clockwise in the opposite direction around the object they are currently gravitated to. Say you jump from a planet to an asteroid before jumping to another planet, the character continues running forward and rotating around the planets (or whatever) as soon as they land. The character will continue running forward if you don't choose to press the opposite direction on the joystick to "stop them in place" before either pressing "forward" again or "backward" to make them go clockwise or counter-clockwise, which can be a little awkward to interrupt sometimes. This isn't such a big deal in the earlier levels when the game isn't throwing too much at you. However, in later levels where you are having to stop before running headlong into massive skull creatures rampaging on their own path along the same planet or matching your character's run to stop and go between lasers being fired from flying saucers overhead, it becomes more challenging as the game progresses. While some may find this annoying, I thought the challenge progressed in a pretty natural way to keep me interested without becoming bored. Cosmic Leap doesn't have a ton of depth, with much of its replay value coming from seeing what characters you can unlock (by timing your run through a level to reach and jump into a rocketship that's flying by somewhere during that stage before it's out of reach.) By doing this, you unlock a deluge of characters from Skeletor-lookalikes to Dinosaurs to Cosmonauts, with a similar variety being offered in various skins for the rocketship you have to reach. All of the characters control the same and have no spoken dialog or abilities, but they each have their own funny personality conveyed through their design and I was always excited to see who I had unlocked next. Cosmic Leap's sound design and music added a lot to my enjoyment of the game, embodying electronic / upbeat background music with retro / 8-bit style sound effects, from the rumbling engine of your spaceship to the oft-heard jumping sound effect and the crumbly, lo-fi sound when you meet your demise. I was skeptical this wouldn't be one of those cheap, quickly-thrown-together simplistic titles that I play for a few minutes then never bother to boot up again when first seeing its screenshots and limited gameplay, but I'm glad I gave it a chance as its frequently-changing levels and constant character unlocks (in addition to its enjoyable music and funny overall gameplay) kept me coming back until I had at least completed the game, which took about 2-4 hours depending on how many levels I churned through without running into one that gave me trouble. Some of the levels can be difficult, but if you're into having to figure out patterns on your platformer and looking for one with a colorful, chill style Cosmic Leap fits the bill.