Narcalid

[table][th] Review by Sven Evil - [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/8485829-SvenEvils-Playground/lists/] Steam's best local 4-player curator![/url] [/th][/table] You play four guys, each with a different multitool. You can switch between them anytime (or maybe play split-screen multiplayer, but we did not find out how to add another player). The multitools allow your characters to perform different actions, like pulling things, breaking things, healing or using a shield. Of course these abilities are required to progress through the levels. Where did I see this before? Ah, yes, in The Lost Vikings! An old classic from Interplay (1993) by the devs that later made Diablo. You may now pay the low fee of $20 to Activision for the ability to play this game (ok, and a few more) again on Battle.net, btw. Anyway, Narcalid is a new interpretation of the old (but good) game mechanics from Lost Vikings. The game is rather peaceful, it is more focused on puzzles than on shooting or quick reflexes. It does contain timed sequences and platforming, though. Dying is not so easy, you just get teleported back to your current base when you take too much damage. You find places to mediate, where your heroes (and you, the player) can sit down ands take a deep breath to mediate a bit. This might also help you to come up with a solution to your current problem. Your four heroes have just been awakened after 90 years of hibernation on a space ship. Their goal was to explore a new planet and link it to earth via an astral gate... but the planet seems to be not so friendly at all and our four heroes (and a snappy AI) are stranded on it. Time to explore this strange new world! So far, so good, but... The game does not support gamepads. Come on, a platforming PC game from 2024 that does not support gamepads? They even want you to play in local two player mode - with one keyboard? Seriously? My keyboard is a mini keyboard, no way I can use this at the same time with my wife/kids. I am really no gamepad fanatic, there are lots of gameplay mechanics where the mouse and/or keyboard is far better than a gamepad. BUT NOT IN A (puzzle) PLATFORMER. Even the promo video on Steam shows happy players using gamepads! Are the devs lazy or just crazy? I have no idea, but it seems they mediated too much instead of implementing gamepad support in the game! This game is a very careful recommendation (I liked the single player experience) - only consider playing it if you like keyboard controls, don't want to play with friends and are ok with Early Access. [u][b] Conclusion:[/b][/u] Nice Lost Vikings clone with local multiplayer, but missing gamepad support. Only halfway finished (still in Early Access).

Props to the devs for the bold move of doing something different. Here we have a cooperative platformer that swaps out combat in favor of non-violent solutions, such as charming and helping creatures. Each player assumes a unique role on the team (healer/animal charmer, shield, obstacle breaker, and object levitator) and are encouraged to work together to solve puzzles so you can further your exploration of the mysterious world your ship has crash landed on. Narcalid does a great job at drawing you into an intriguing story right from the beginning: You’ve just awoken from a long journey through space to discover a new planet and *hopefully* open a gateway back home to begin colonization. But, the planet is not all that it seems as your ship’s probe triggers a chain reaction of events that set you off on a journey to recover your missing crew, build a base, and explore to unravel the secrets of your new settings. There’s also a tie in to the art of meditation, which further supports the game’s unique direction towards non-violence and contemplation of your surroundings. It’s an unusual perspective for a video game, but I admire how the writing aims to acknowledge the initial awkwardness of your team dropping into the lotus position with some light-hearted humor jabbing at the game’s “guru” character. I’m curious to see how this concept evolves throughout the game. The artwork is beautifully done in a hand-painted style, with strange plants and colorful creatures enhancing the feel of an ancient and alien world. The team clearly has a lot of love and passion behind this project, and I’m excited to see how the game evolves in early access.

I'm going to go ahead and leave a thumbs down, but take the time to read through because it may not be a thumbs down for you. If you are looking for solo platforming/metroidvania style games, I would recommend moving along to other titles. This is a unique "feel good platformer" designed for couch co-op. It feels like the design is meant to be very chill. I mean, there's actual guided meditation in the game. If that's what you are looking for, then by all means it seems like it will deliver on that experience. It looks nice, they did a decent job with the colors and game effects. As a platforming game, it is a bit floaty and limited in what you can do. You have to change characters to access your abilities, and there's some time lag with the animation on how that works that I found a bit annoying. That obviously gets more simple the more characters that are on screen (multiplayer). The puzzles were very, very simple for the most part. It might be fun to play with your kids as couch co-op, but that's about the only time I can think this would be interesting. Keep in mind, I did not play very far into the game at all. The map looks very big on the preview video. But my issue is that I don't feel a game is worth putting hours into unless it rewards you sufficiently for the first hour or so you give it, and I just did not feel that was the case here. I took a risk on it, and for what its worth the game isn't super low cost. I'm not going to refund, I take responsibility for the purchase. Take a close look at the previews. If you have kids and want to do some couch co-op, then especially think about this one because it might be decent for that.

I am a 46 year old father who is regularly looking for fun & meaningful ways to interact with my kids in a manner that actually adds to our health. I almost can’t believe it, but Narcalid is the first video game i have found that fills this gap. FIRST, Narcalid is a truly FUN game to play, where up to four players work together to solve their way through a Metroid-like universe (for those of you like me who are in love with the original Nintendo classics)! SECOND, the storyline offers a mysterious unfolding - I want to see what comes next. I want to find out what happened in this world and why we’ve been put here. Also, I realize now as I wrote this that the music is incredibly soothing. I would put this on as my background music while I’m working… THIRD, and certainly not least, I had no idea that I was going to run into an actual real “do this now” meditation opportunity! (The first one must have been about a minute long). OMG, this is everything I’ve been looking for! My kids range from 12-16 now, and while I know this will be so great for them now, I wish this game had been available when they were 5-10 years old. Our world needs games that are not just mass-killing enemies. We need fun ways to move forward, but with reminders to pause, breathe, let the adrenaline settle. We need games and entertainment that enable us to be healthy. Narcalid absolutely fills this role. I am so excited to get my three kids together and play all four of us - you have no idea. If you want a way to have fun with your kids in a setting that allows for something much more than just another game, I highly recommend you give this a try….

If you're hunting for a unique blend of gameplay mechanics with a dash of spiritual enlightenment, look no further than Narcalid.

Interesting story with characters who have special tools in a game to teach kids how to learn meditation in very short increments. Easy to learn. There's no death or harming characters. This is an early access review, so may still be a little glitchy (e.g. characters still moving at the top or bottom of ladders).

Very fun with an old school vibe! It's very reminiscent of side scrolling classics like Out of This World and Super Metroid. The puzzles are very creative and the artwork is beautiful. The multiplayer/cooperative aspects work very well and make for a fun time with your fellow gamers. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh and unique gaming experience!

i love the graphics especially the monsters

I have played for 13 minutes and I already know this is a masterpiece, every line is so well thought out, and every character is completely developed, i could play this for days on end!