Two more reviews of "smaller" titles. Both featuring so precise and perfect controls, with great gameplay prioritised far above anything else. You really should play them and you'll love them like I have!
Released: 2014
Two games for the price of one, but is combining two genres from the 2D age a good idea?
Velocity quickly shifts the player from steering a spaceship in typical vertical scrolling 2D shooter to on-foot segments that remind me of platformers and scrolling shooters from way back in the nineties. This shift in gameplay, even multiple times during a level, not only feels great, but really adds a variation that keeps the player entertained.
Released: 2015
I've not felt this way about a 2D platformer in a while. The charming art direction and beautiful visuals, combined with amazingly sharp controls, bring me back to why I love the 2D platforming genre. Sure, the fantastic Rayman and New Super Mario Bros. releases of recent years have also brought back this feeling, but Ori really has reunited me back to those glory days from the early 90s. Back when 8 and 16 bits were relevant.
Ori combines game ideas to accomplish something unique of it's own. It lends a lot to the Metroid titles: at first you have no abilities, then as you progress you find new abilities, which again opens up new areas that previously weren't reachable. Revisiting locked areas, lets you progress further into them, it really encourages exploration. Ori has one, huge, open map, which you familiarise yourself with. Metroidvania indeed.
In addition to the abilities, there's a leveling system, which further lets you unlock skills that upgrade your abilities, and in turn makes Ori even more powerful. I like this twist, or addition if you will, to the genre. Instead of just relying on finding upgrades, you also have the option to micromanage them by upgrading your favourites. Be it your attack, exploration or traversal abilities. If you're keen, you can of course go for leveling up everything too!
Visually, I found Ori stunning. It looks like a beautiful, and detailed, hand drawn cartoon, only with an art direction that lends more to mystical paintings of distant fantasy worlds. The colours are vibrant, but natural, the depiction of a living forest is perfect. I love the variation in environments throughout the map, spanning mountains, lava, jungles and snowy woodlands settings. Each type of area offering new types of challenges and distinct ambient music that really builds the atmosphere up further.
Review
Played on: PS Vita & PlayStation 4Released: 2014
Two games for the price of one, but is combining two genres from the 2D age a good idea?
Velocity quickly shifts the player from steering a spaceship in typical vertical scrolling 2D shooter to on-foot segments that remind me of platformers and scrolling shooters from way back in the nineties. This shift in gameplay, even multiple times during a level, not only feels great, but really adds a variation that keeps the player entertained.
Both game types are fast and control precisely, as such don't feel like a change of pace. Each part suits the other and it never feels annoying to switch quickly between the different play styles.
I really like how the game introduces you to the spaceship controls first, and as I've gathered, the first Velocity game only featured this. Here you also learn about the quick teleporting ability, which you need to quickly jump away from obstacles and objects blocking your way. You may also speed up your ship as fast as you like, but doing so makes traversing the levels really hard. Completion of a levels award you with XP for points earned, survivor pods rescued and time spent. XP in turn unlocks new levels. Accomplishing all three tasks in one speedrun is really hard!
The game progresses to teach you about the on-foot levels. Here you steer a blonde woman who has fast and amazing jumping skills. She can also teleport herself through walls that block the way. The teleporting and running/speeding button kind of fuses the two game styles together in some similar traversal abilities, yet are used fairly differently in each gameplay type.
Her shooting feels like a typical shooter from the old 2D days, with one stick for aiming in all directions and one for walking. The difference from the old retrogames is that you can do both at the same time, we are no longer hampered by one directional pad!
After a few levels the game combines these two gameplay types in an incredible fashion, to progress with your ship you'll for instance need to open force fields blocking the way. To do this, simply speed your spaceship into a docking station and open the force fields by shooting generators on foot! I can't stress how fun it is to be switching two types of genres like this!
The game progresses to teach you about the on-foot levels. Here you steer a blonde woman who has fast and amazing jumping skills. She can also teleport herself through walls that block the way. The teleporting and running/speeding button kind of fuses the two game styles together in some similar traversal abilities, yet are used fairly differently in each gameplay type.
Her shooting feels like a typical shooter from the old 2D days, with one stick for aiming in all directions and one for walking. The difference from the old retrogames is that you can do both at the same time, we are no longer hampered by one directional pad!
After a few levels the game combines these two gameplay types in an incredible fashion, to progress with your ship you'll for instance need to open force fields blocking the way. To do this, simply speed your spaceship into a docking station and open the force fields by shooting generators on foot! I can't stress how fun it is to be switching two types of genres like this!
Sadly, the story lost my interest quickly, with a little too many text only cutscenes, even though the art style is really clean and pleasing to the eye. It's simple geometry and diverse colours making for a distinct looking game. For such a fast paced, you need to have a good view of what's going on and V2X's graphics do just that.
Accompanying the visuals is a fantastic electronic score, that really set the mood and tempo flowing on the fast paced levels.
While V2X may not reinvent the wheel, it feels fresh thanks to it's combination of two distinct genres from days gone past of the 2D age. It does so in a way that's entertaining, extremely well controlled and presented cleanly. I warmly recommend this old-school style shooter game, especially for people that are fans of the old genres! It really had me addicted, even replaying it on my PS4 after the PS Vita!
While V2X may not reinvent the wheel, it feels fresh thanks to it's combination of two distinct genres from days gone past of the 2D age. It does so in a way that's entertaining, extremely well controlled and presented cleanly. I warmly recommend this old-school style shooter game, especially for people that are fans of the old genres! It really had me addicted, even replaying it on my PS4 after the PS Vita!
Review
Played on: Xbox OneReleased: 2015
I've not felt this way about a 2D platformer in a while. The charming art direction and beautiful visuals, combined with amazingly sharp controls, bring me back to why I love the 2D platforming genre. Sure, the fantastic Rayman and New Super Mario Bros. releases of recent years have also brought back this feeling, but Ori really has reunited me back to those glory days from the early 90s. Back when 8 and 16 bits were relevant.
Ori combines game ideas to accomplish something unique of it's own. It lends a lot to the Metroid titles: at first you have no abilities, then as you progress you find new abilities, which again opens up new areas that previously weren't reachable. Revisiting locked areas, lets you progress further into them, it really encourages exploration. Ori has one, huge, open map, which you familiarise yourself with. Metroidvania indeed.
In addition to the abilities, there's a leveling system, which further lets you unlock skills that upgrade your abilities, and in turn makes Ori even more powerful. I like this twist, or addition if you will, to the genre. Instead of just relying on finding upgrades, you also have the option to micromanage them by upgrading your favourites. Be it your attack, exploration or traversal abilities. If you're keen, you can of course go for leveling up everything too!
Ori is a very responsive platformer to play, it controls with fast and precise controls, gradually requiring more skill from the player as you progress into more challenging areas on the map. In fact, some of the later environments had me thinking I was playing Super Meat Boy, with it's almost impossible levels to traverse, but after a few tries you realise you can actually can beat them. Beating them give great satisfaction of accomplishment, much thanks to the hard challenge of mastering them.
Visually, I found Ori stunning. It looks like a beautiful, and detailed, hand drawn cartoon, only with an art direction that lends more to mystical paintings of distant fantasy worlds. The colours are vibrant, but natural, the depiction of a living forest is perfect. I love the variation in environments throughout the map, spanning mountains, lava, jungles and snowy woodlands settings. Each type of area offering new types of challenges and distinct ambient music that really builds the atmosphere up further.
If there's something to complain about, I'd have to say the story is a bit bland and diffuse. It's presented nicely at least and works fine, I'm not expecting anything mind blowing for a story in a platformer, but It could have been a bit deeper. That said, there are some very sad moments, both in the intro and during the story that left an impression.
I would recommend exploring the map completely and try to level Ori all the way up, as it will make the lifespan longer. Not doing so, will probably end the game a little quicker than desired. My first playthrough took about 10 hours.
One of the most memorable and enjoyable platforming experiences I've ever had. At times, it brings my 2D platformer enjoyment back to the days of Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario Bros. from my youth. The atmosphere and beautiful art direction really helps build a fantasy world that I'll remember clearly when looking back in years from now. One of the best games in it's genre!
One of the most memorable and enjoyable platforming experiences I've ever had. At times, it brings my 2D platformer enjoyment back to the days of Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario Bros. from my youth. The atmosphere and beautiful art direction really helps build a fantasy world that I'll remember clearly when looking back in years from now. One of the best games in it's genre!
