Get it on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/70300/
Source: Youtube Channel ChaoticHarmonyEcho
Developer: Terry Cavanagh
Distributor: Steam
Platforms: PC
Release Date: January 11, 2010.
Genre: Action-Adventure Platformer
Pros:
-Simple concept with challenging level designs
-Non-linear and freedom to go anywhere in the game
-Incredible soundtrack that's worth listening to even out of the game
-Player can only truly fail by giving up, no Game Overs and starting all over
Cons:
-Must be a patient player to fully enjoy the game
-Minimalistic art style may not appeal to all
-The might feel too short to some players
I'm surprised I didn't do a review for VVVVVV after I finished the game. It is one of the most interesting and thought provoking Action-Adventure platformers I've played in a while. The game takes the very simple concept of limiting the player to only reversing gravity while not being able to jump and creating mind-boggling levels and challenges for the players to get through. The game does get progressively difficult, but it does not hinder the player to certain areas with power ups, leveling up, items, or such. The world around VVVVVV is non-linear and lets the player explore any part of the game in any order. Like many other difficult but beautifully crafted games, the satisfaction of overcoming an obstacle is gratifying and worth the effort. With it only $2.49 on Steam today from its usual $4.99, there should be no reason why you shouldn't buy this game now.
Source: Youtube Channel ChaoticHarmonyEcho
Graphics
I found the minimalistic 8-bit looking graphics to be one of the selling points of VVVVVV. Too often do I find indie-games with flash, cel-shaded, picture book art styles (not that they're all bad) that make it look like it just came out of its concept stage or so convoluted in color, shadowing, and environment that it's unwelcoming to the eye, difficult to make out parts of the levels, and sometimes affects the gameplay (objects' color blending into each other, can't see the player's character, hit-box inaccuracies, etc.). VVVVVV has a simplistic 8-bit (maybe even less?) style art direction which is both charming and easy to distinguish objects around the player. The straight-forward "this is a wall, this is a spike, this is your character" game graphics works well with the fast-paced action and puzzles within the game and helps the player react to situations a faster. This is also really helpful for the the game developer, Terry Cavanagh, to focus on the level design and gameplay rather than spending hundreds of hours on each room and sprite. In terms of graphics, I thought it worked really well for the way the game played had little to no flaw in them. Graphics: 10/10
Audio
Another selling point the game had in my eyes was the music. I've played many indie games where they boast about being 8-bit graphics and music but did not fully capture the true spirit of retro gaming music. Game composers had to be creative with their limitations back in the NES days because a game's cartridge could not hold too much information and the sound output was few to select by. Because of that, composers worked carefully on each tune to make it appropriate and an enjoyable track to listen to over and over again, even if it's 30 seconds long. Many other 8-bit music artists seem to take the sound a sound chip makes and create a lot of random blips and bleeps to call it retro gaming music without a hook, a solid melody, or any interest other than sounding like an 8-bit Nintendo. VVVVVV; however, is blessed with the music of Magnus Pålsson who combined a lot of catchy melodies with strong beats for the tunes within the game. When I was stuck at Vini Vedi Vici (look it up), I found myself humming along with the song the entire time (and I was there for a looooooooooooong time). The upbeat tunes gets me really pumped and immersed in the game. The music added more to the game's experience than any other aesthetic could possible hope to achieve. The sound effects is also 8-bit and adds to the charm of retro style gaming aesthetics. One of the most iconic sound effects I got out of the game was the "Beeeew" sound when the main character dies each time. I heard it most on Vini Vedi Vici. The audio is one of the aspects I enjoyed most throughout the game. Audio: 10/10
Gameplay
I was worried at first when I realized that the player's only control over the character was to move left, right and to reverse gravity. I was afraid that the game would just have a bunch of courses with just timing the gravity jump, but I was relieved when I started to get into the main part of the game and crazy puzzles started to reveal themselves to me. There are sections to the parts of the world of VVVVVV that reminds me of Metroid. Each section has its own unique kind of challenges for the player to get through. One place has an infinite space that drops the player in an endless fall. Another section had a wire that would bounce the player around, sometimes into lethal spikes. The game follows the old game design of "learn from mistakes" but in shorter progressions (if you died in games like Super Mario Bros. or Ninja Gaiden, you would have to start from the beginning of a stage or sometimes world. Even worse, the entire game). There are tons of spawn points around so players wouldn't have to perform a long series of challenges they've already gone through before. There are a lot of interesting and a lot of times frustrating twists within the game that creates a new scenario such as leading a partner down a corridor when they can't reverse gravity like the player does. Overall, the game was a nice, short and enjoyable experience (I fear games that seem to drag on and on sometimes). The only problem I may have is that it may not be exactly the game I'd want to keep going back to like I do with old NES games. I'm a bit hesitant to revisit all the struggle and agony of certain challenges again, but I'm still not 100% done with getting everything yet so I'm fine with going through parts of the game I have yet to visit. Gameplay: 9/10
Overall
I'm glad I bought the game, and it's one I felt that was more worth than some of the retail games I've bought off of steam. VVVVVV keeps it simple and delivers an exciting experience with little to no slow down. The game will keep the player engaged and interested with devious level designs and an awesome soundtrack. If you are more of a casual gamer or think that you might not enjoy the game, then try out the demo on Steam or Kongregate.com before deciding whether to buy it or not. It's a really good break from all the other modern games that I've been playing and reminds players that a game doesn't have to involve state-of-the-art graphics, professional voice-acting, million of dollars spent, violence, killing, weapons, or power ups to be fun. As I've said before, there should be no reason to miss out on playing the game for just $4.99 ($2.49 if you can get it today). Overall: 9.67/10
No comments:
Post a Comment