Even the Ocean

I would be quite happy with only the platforming parts of this game, they are nicely done however not very challenging. On the other hand there is very crudely written and basic story of greedy for power humans destroying environment. The thing that I despised is UI and general desing that is written (in my opinion) to prolong simple tasks and waste our time - simple tasks like going home from briefing dont need to take the same 10ish steps every time (including riding on two different trains)! This game is not that massive in content -_-

Very polished platformer with good controls. Instead of having health like normal games, you have "light" and "dark" energy which affect your movement in different ways. If you have too much of either you die. The soundtrack is nice too. Very soft and ambient.

First of all: this game is impressive, considering that it was written by two persons. However, beyond that consideration what remains is a quite shallow game. The platforming is decent and easy enough for a casual gamer. The energy balancing mechanic is innovative, but beyond that, the game doesn't evolve. The protagonist doesn't learn any new moves and the game is very linear. It tries to create the illusion of free exploration via the overworld map. But you can always only interact with those points on the map that are next in the linear plot. All other points lead to the response: "I don't have anything to do there." or "I should go ... instead". That is frustrating and makes the map exploration pointless. The plot is quite predictable and very moralizing. The game is, at it's core, a political statement. Being political is fine, games are an art-form after all. Just know what you are getting. If you are easily annoyed by gender politics and painfully politically correct language, you will hate this game. If you can look beyond the politics, the game offers several hours of easy, relaxed entertainment. Just don't expect anything deep or thought-provoking. I don't know where others see the supposed depth of this game. For me the plot and all the characters seemed to be very one-dimensional, just there for the sake of the statement with no life of their own. I think that's the main point that made the game feel shallow: the world doesn't feel alive and the NPCs aren't credible as persons but are just static plot-devices. But on the plus-side, the game allows you to disregard the entire story and just play the platforming levels.

This game was on my radar for a long time but I hesitated until now and wish I had have given it a go sooner. This game is a fun and breezy playthrough. The dual energy system is a neat gameplay mechanic and the puzzles are not cumbersome, introducing new ideas at decent clip so things don't get stale. The bittersweet mood that runs through the story and some of the thematic content reminds me of the Gaia trilogy, which I adored growing up (the act transitions must be a nod to Terranigma). Probably my favorite thing I've played so far in 2022.