Etherborn

TLDR: This is a fun game. But it is extremely short given it's price. It took me ~2 hours to finish the game, and about the same time again to complete New Game+, which is the same levels but slightly different puzzle solutions. It has great visuals, audio & atmosphere. The puzzles are great, the controls & physics are intuitive. They've even added auto-run and skippable cut-scenes for quality of life. The "story" is terrible and irrelevant. It's just dialogue that you'll end up skipping over; it feels like it was tacked on. So I did have fun, and enjoyed the game. But I played through the game and NG+ with all achievements in under 4 hours (despite what Steam says it took, due to playing offline on the Deck). Worth a play, but definitely not at full price.

This is one of greatest game runs beautifully on Steam Deck, highly recommended.

The camera is a nightmare which makes the experience frustrating.

Pros and Cons Pros: A 3D puzzle game where you bend around corners and platform your way around the orb puzzles. With nice mapping and clever usage of the 3d environment That's it Cons: Oh boi The Story is Nonexistent, trying to be Philosophical using the world's interesting visuals. But since everything is so abstract, it doesn't really vibe well together; any set pieces feel like they were made to fool you with the interesting visuals. Not a spoiler, but at some point you walk past a garden with bamboo shoots, and the lighting makes it look kinda cool. But why? Why this little bamboo path? It doesn't explain anything; making it feel like filler. I understand that movement in 3D wall shifting is difficult. But here, you expect to die at least 7 times from the controls just sending you off cliffs; you press right, but he walks forward and to his death. There is no penalty for dying, but it still isn't great. Especially if you have to walk from the place it spawns you, often at the start of a section, back to where you needed to go. There are only 4 levels, and while they are fun, the game tried to lengthen its game time by having you complete each level again, but with the orbs in different places. Advanced mode, they call it. Padding is what I call it. And finally, the speed. The Game is Slow. Like Uber slow. The game has a walking speed that is practically a crawl; basically, you need to run to do anything. So have fun holding Shift the entire game; you can change it in the settings to always run, but my question is, why have the crawl speed in the first place? It's sooo slow. But the biggest problem with the speed is the animations. Every time you place an orb, you get a cutscene. I get having the player stand still so the bridge can come up. But the animations are so slow. And then, in a game where the primary action is placing these orbs to make bridges appear, half the game you're waiting for the bridge or next piece to appear. Not to mention when you have to take an orb from a place you had placed it before. Get ready, because here is the entire bridge-loading sequence in reverse. In level 3, there is a part where, once you complete the section, the cube you're on falls. landing in the next section. You can literally grab one orb off the finished tableau, and the cube flies back into the sky.

It's just a basic 8-bit puzzler but with nicer graphics. If there is a story I didn't bother following it. It's pretty much a one trick pony and that trick gets dull pretty quick. The ability to flip the direction you walk shouldn't be the sole basis of your game, or if you do, like has happened here, people will get bored of it very quickly.

So, played through the game in under 2 hours. Let's start with the good. It is a simple, short puzzle game, with pleasant graphics and amazing soundtrack now, the bad... well, less "bad" but more of underwhelming the game is very lenient on storytelling, not giving you much, while also talking WAY too much. It is clear this game was inspired in sorts of games like Journey, where there isn't set explanation for it, but more of catch-all. but it misses on making the player think, and cutscenes that explain things, ends up making you more confused than make connections. Gameplay wise, it has A LOT of potential, but the game just doesnt explore or experiment with it. Button mechanics are one-note, with VERY minor play near the end, and even then it wasn't something that affected you if you played smart. and only "obstacle" mechanic are essentially just more complex walls, but nothing more. And again, the lenght. even if there could have been easily included 2 more mechanics, the game spends first half in the first level for no reason, and then each later levels that actually is competently difficult are short as crap. Ending itself, while clear inplications, and attempt on making the story to ramp for the reveal, but like... story didn't get me involved, puzzles didn't relate to it at all, and it just feels overly cinematic, when you are just underwhelmed by what you have done so far. I will say, if devs want to expand, or make sequel to this game, i 100% recomment, and make sure to add plenty more content, but as it is right now, and at the price range. Underwhelming is just the operative word for all. also, the game has new game+ mode and i am just to question... why? like, i enjoy the aspect of harder puzzles, but you are giving them on platter of puzzles you already beat... and not like the story is notable enough on second playthrough. at best presumption, it is because Journey gave you cloak with unique marking, and white cloak on 100% to encourage replays, but like... that was optional, and had shortcuts for collectibles, but here it just makes you replay the whole game just because it wants you to. in short, the game has soul and heart put into it, but it focuses too much on being a experience, than a proper game, it starts to lose the fun. In a best, and shortest way to describe playing this game, even without expectations... it is just underwhelming. Not bad, nor good. 5-6/10 Play it if you want, but it is something you can forget about as well.