The Way

This game strikes a really solid atmosphere that almost had me at tears at points. Much like 'Heart of Darkness' or 'Abe's Odessey' it is a lethal, gory platformer. Unlike those games though, The Way is also embraces a very serious stillness. Nothing is meant to be evil or out to get you, things simply exist. Many compare the game to 'Another World', but I would rather compare it to a slightly more mature version of the movie 'Up'. Where the game falters though is with its implementation. It was sheer luck that I did not lock the game twice; as dying in the middle of certain actions will re-spawn objects in weird ways. The gamepad support also ranges from 'acceptable' to 'downright infuriating'. Save yourself a headache and use a mouse for certain sections; you'll know which. Puzzles are a mixed bag. There's variety and challenge, but a few of them clearly wear out their welcome.

I like this game. I find some of the things a bit tedious. I like the play over all, just wish there was a little more wiggle room.

Out of this World has exciting new things happening all the time. It has puzzles and platforming that are driven by a story. Achieving those puzzles moves you through the story. The Way has many challenging puzzles that were consistently difficult for me, and many frustrating platforming puzzles. You solve these puzzles to make lights light up and platforms move, and, maybe, if you've lit up enough lights and moved enough platforms in enough puzzle rooms, and finally to maybe trigger some plot event. There's not a lot of dialogue, thankfully, but there's little enough that I find it disappointing that it wasn't ditched altogether. Out of this World is a Cinematic Experience, in that its goals are to have many flashy, unique events and bespoke puzzles to suit them. The Way is a Mature Game. in that it comes from many years of the gaming industry figuring out how many puzzles dungeons in a row can be satisfying before adding a new mechanic. Also there's a story. The Way is definitely INSPIRED by Out of this World, but comparing them feels off. Because The Way has much more content in between story events, and the story events have dialogue, The Way feels much slower and less impactful than Out of this World. WIth all the things they have in common, it makes playing The Way feel like you are reading a novelization of Out of this World. Less immediate, less of an experience. No rawness. Not that The Way is bad! I enjoy playing it, except for the SUPER GARBAGE platforming stuff. Which is accurate to its inspiration and all the incredibly BS repetitive parts in that old game. Dying and repeating constantly the same stupid monster battle was boring then and it's boring now. But the puzzles are difficult in a good way, and the art is a melancholy mood rendered in crunchy-slick pixels. So it's a cool game. Just a weird experience. Don't expect an Out of this World descendant. Expect a solid puzzle platformer made in the shape of an Out of this World member berry tree.

+ Good story + I really like the ending + I also like the art + And also puzzle. They are creative. A little frustrating but ok I don't mind - But it is glitchy. I cannot shoot gun with gamepad but I know the workaround >> go to setting/controls/reset shoot from right trigger to right trigger again/apply - Some puzzles require memorization. You have to go back to places again if you don't remember. Better to have some kind of in-game journal in inventory - Jumping is awkward. You can die easily from jumping just a little too high. I got this game at discount but I think they deserved more than that.

Got it while browsing through sale discounts here on gog and glad i did. Played without a problem with keyboard/mouse, loved graphics, music and orientation to both puzzle solving and platforming. Obvious inspirations didn't bother me much as it was great nostalgia trip to my Amiga days all the way. Couple of small flaws: - in some sections decent amount of backtracking is needed to solve puzzles - pulling down from a ledge move (Flashback/Prince of Persia style) would be handy - object detection during hovercraft black beast escape seemed a bit off Nonetheless, highly recommended !