Side Scape

One of the most creative takes on the metroidvania/zelda-like genres I have ever experienced. While the game is rather short, it accomplishes a lot within the few hours of playtime. The movement feels sharp and responsive, the exploration is fun, and the main gimmick - switching between side-scrolling and isometric control schemes - makes both combat and puzzles more interesting. While the graphics are pretty simplistic, they do their job well. The music in the background is also well made, even if there isn't much variety. The one thing I disliked was the lack of a map and the vagueness of hints. While the world isn't particularly big, it is big enough to occasionally get lost when moving from one side of the map to the other. While the game does have a hint system telling you where to go next, some hints aren't helpful - an example that comes to mind being "find a cave" with no further context. As such, sometimes you can run around for a long time searching for where the game wants you to go. The lack of a map also caused me problems during the endgame. As a completionists, I tried to collect every item in the game. However, since there are no indications where an item might be located, I spent almost half of the 4 hours that my playthrough took running around aimlessly, hoping I would find the missing items. Other than those issues, which ultimately end up being simply annoyances, the game is very enjoyable. I heavily reccomend picking it up even outside of sales if you are a fan of the two blended genres.

Janky but good

It's a nice MV! I haven't finished yet; I may update when I do (UPDATE: I did it, 100%! Haven't found the secret easter egg, though). I think I'm most of the way through, judging by the collectibles I've collected. The game's gimmick is that you need to think of the same map as a top-down map and as a sidescroller map at the same time, which would be a spoiler except that, you know, it's the main selling point of the game. That is a pretty cool concept! I hope that other people take this concept in their own unique directions, because it's a cool gameplay mechanic. Now, that said, I would say that this game is not really a must-play. The art and music are... well, serviceable, I guess, and the plot is fairly standard, if not a little meta. That's all OK, really. I don't think game stories need to be, I dunno, Hallownest, and the art doesn't have to either. The game is medium-sized, which is a great size for a palate-cleanser: you get a few evenings of enjoyment, then you move on to your other projects or whatever. I think this game is great for that. It does not disappoint me, and I'm having a fun time exploring and collecting stuff. The overworld is very much not huge, so you won't really get lost even though the overworld map is not a real minimap (it shows the regions and general shape, but not specific features of each one), but there are dungeons and the dungeon maps are quite detailed. There are some cool puzzles too. The upgrades are quite clever. Again, all in all, it's a nice MV that is worth playing, but it's not THE GAME YOU HAVE TO PLAY OMG GOTY. If you're looking for a fun little MV, go play it!

This isn't my usual genre but the concept was so intriguing from the get-go that I simply **had** to give it a whirl. The execution is great. The game has some tough bosses, but I unstuck myself by changing up my tactics. Solid music. The length is just right too, no dragging out a concept here. Absolutely worth it.

So far so good! Haven't finished the game yet, but I am thoroughly enjoying myself. I wouldn't be surprised if I learned that the devs had a lot of fun making this one.

Unique take on the genre. Totally worth your time and money.