[Strike] I really wanted to like this game, but unfortunately, I can't.
The controls make the game unplayable, I couldn't get passed the first level.
The default mouse sensitivity is way too sensitive, yet it shows it on the "low" end of the spectrum. However, what's worse is that YOU CANNOT LOWER IT. There is a meter to lower it, but you cannot move it. You can move the sound volume meters, but not the sensitivty. It makes the game unplayable, as the camera whips around with slight movments, which does not pair well with the thin, corridor-ish level design.
Speaking of not paring well with the level design, melee combat. The melee "combos" (you mash one button to do them) fling your character around the stage uncontrollably, causing you to tumble off the stage frequently when you are attempting to kill basic enemies. This is just bad game design; the controls and movement should mesh well with the level design, not blantantly clash with it.
There's no tutorial level either, teaching you the controls, the combat, and the type of level design. You start out with grapes as your starting weapon (?), which is a projectile weapon. Later in the first stage you gain a sword. This just doesn't make sense; you'd think the melee weapon would be your starting weapon, and you later earn the consumable, projectile weapon.
Overall, the base of the game seems poorly designed, as the basic melee combat clashes with the level design, the controls for PC are wonky, and the insane mouse sensitivity cannot be changed.
This is very unfortunate, as when I read the description of N64/PS1 hack-n-slash, I got excited, but if the basic controls and design are poor, it makes the entire game fail.
Edit: Oh, and there's some jump lag, which for a platformer, is a horrible sin, especially with these levels having small thin islands hanging in the sky. Every implementation and design I saw in the first level just seemed bad.
Also, for settings (besides the broken sensitivity button) it shows options for Anti-aliasing, Inverted Mouse Controls, etc., but they don't bring you to a different menu, nor do they have a checkmark/box showing that it's selected or not. Makes it hard to tell if you'e actually changed something or not.
HOW COULD I FORGET the camera is horrible. Not just the sensitivity, but it will automatically move around, zoom in, and zoom out without your control. At the BEGINNING OF THE GAME I moved towards the next area, from the starting platform, and the camera rushes until the only thing I can see is my Gnome, then it rotates and zooms way out. I can't figure out why it moves the way it does, but it too, among all these other things, makes this game hard and unfun to play. This is just bad camerawork. Whenever you hear about games having bad cameras, this is it. It impedes the player.
Everything about the mechanics impedes the player, which again, for a platformer that needs to shine in the gameplay department, defeats the game in the most basic sense. The simplest fun you can get out of a platformer, good & responsive controls with good level design and level interaction, is not present in this game, so if you want to enjoy a good 3D platformer or hack & slash, this game is not for you. [/Strike]
I'd say its a bit of a misdirect to compare this to Mario 64 & OoT, as it is designed much more linearly (more similar to, say, Crash Bandicoot or Super Mario 3D World than the more open levels of 64) with series of connected islands, and is much more hack n slash than the Zelda combat with flashier, momentum-fueled combos. However, if you like hack n slash platformers, this is probably a solid choice, as it mixes up the combat with various items you can combo with.
The base melee combat could be improved upon, however, as it merely relies on a single button (though as stated above, you can mix it up with attacks from other weapons).
Also, be wary, as spamming the melee combos can be more fatal to you than to the enemies, as they will swing you around, which may swing you off of the island-esque platforms.
Personally not my cup of tea, though for others who prefer this genre, I'm sure this would satisfy.
