By Sam Coles:
It is summer time (as of writing) the birds are sing, the
sun is out and the current releases are about as baron as my dinner plate after
a 40 mile cycle. Anyway this is a time where I get to indulge myself with older
games on previous gen consoles as well as indie titles, this time I got to
check a game called Etherborn a month in advance and I have to say it is
beautiful.
I know platformers are ubiquitous in the indie scene
especially pixel art platformers, however Etherborn has an interesting and
unique art style coupled with anti-gravity platforming mechanics. It’s a game
that one must take their time and examine the environment, there are no time
limits the game lets you go at you own pace as you explore the empty abyss you
inhabit. The world is empty yet beautiful, but that doesn’t mean it is not treacherous
where you can fall to your immediate death, as you hear is the wind intensify
and then a thud as you land.
As I said this game is a puzzle platformer which tend to be
the norm in the indie scene, but this game puts a different spin with the
anti-gravity elements where you can find yourself upside down as you solve the
various challenges the game throws at you. Each level is thematically different
with music, challenge and just aesthetics in general so you don’t get fatigue
as you play each stage. These puzzles aren’t particularly hard, however it can
be rather obtuse about where you are supposed to go and what you are meant to
do, but you do eventually get those “Ah-ha” moments when you figure it out.
Each stage you have to collect glowing orbs to help you
progress, these generally activate platforms to you help you move forward.
However just because you have used them that doesn’t mean you won’t need them
again, no in later stages you do have to keep shifting them around to gain new
access points. This can cause a lot of back tracking in the later levels, which
honestly did start to get a tad tedious but it did feel immensely satisfying once
everything clicked together.
Presentation wise this game is beautiful yet haunting, it
has this other worldly atmosphere that where it has these bright yet desolate
landscapes where you are alone with no one to help you. Geometry may come
across as simplistic, but it is the lighting that really brings each stage to
life with bright colour hues that standout from the washed out abyss. Coupled
with that is a beautiful musical score that can evoke relaxation, beauty and
sometimes creepy undertones it’s classical music at its finest and I want to
own it in my musical collection.
Overall Etherborn was a nice change of pace from the fast
and quick action violence I usually review; it’s beautiful, serves up a decent
challenge and has an excellent score. It can be rather cryptic at times, but it
is all the more satisfying when you finally piece the puzzle together to
continue the adventure in the isolated environment. If you are looking for a
slow paced puzzle platformer I highly recommend it, it is available on the PS4,
Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
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