Posted on: May 23, 2023
TerminalFerocity
Verified ownerGames: Reviews: 18
Excellent Game Marred by Imperfection
Disclaimer: Played on "Action" mode (no RTS/tower defense) Smelter is an action platformer drawing heavy inspiration from the Mega Man X/Z/ZX series, especially its host of attack and movement abilities and linear levels with optional cul-de-sacs. Moveset swapping is the crux of Smelter's gameplay, and its suite of skills offers a freeform approach to combat and navigation which is, with some marked exceptions, quite engaging. The majority of mandatory challenges (but far from all) are well managed by at minimum 1/3 forms, but form switching raises the skill ceiling and allows for more optimal and expressive play. With all skills unlocked, the potential for highly technical execution in Smelter is something rarely matched. Not all skill unlocks feel dramatically significant, but those that do are immensely satisfying, and even the less dramatic offer utility. Unfortunately, the road to unlocking all of the skills can be a rocky one. Before major mobility unlocks, the player will be relying on base movement mechanics which, while superior to many of Smelter's contemporaries, could've used that vital final refinement pass so many games seem to miss. Walljumping and the interaction of other abilities with it are indeed the main culprit here. Character state changes (e.g. dashing -> wallcling) aren't always intuitive and can "eat" walljump (and other) inputs, snag walls unexpectedly or conversely not catch when expected, and so on. Further, the trials used to unlock skills can at times feel like grueling postgame/ROMhack challenges, but you'll have to do them sooner if you want a full moveset. Most bafflingly, form switching, while realtime, is not an instant (i.e. not a 1 frame) transition, cannot be "buffered" during certain moves, and is not cyclical (i.e. to go from form 3 to form 1, you'll have to hit the "previous form" button twice instead of the "next form" button once). Took me 11 hours for full campaign + trials, and I can see myself replaying.
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