To the Moon was a strange experience. I wanted it to be so much more, but was happy enough with what I got. Visuals : 3/5. The graphics scream SNES era Final Fantasy, albeit with a cleaner and nicer look. They're nothing special, just nice to look at. The locales that you'll visit are few, it makes the game more intimate (which suits the subject matter), but also more visually boring. Sound : 3/5. Once again, the music is ... nice. The main theme has a memorable melody that you'll be humming after playing. Other than that, the soundtrack was far from the emotional masterpiece I've read it was supposed to be. These days, even indies games of questionable quality often have killer soundtracks. TtM does ok, but its music is not too original nor that memorable when detached from its context and story. Gameplay : 3/5. You probably already know that there's practically no gameplay to speak off. I won't take any points for this, because clearly, it's intended to be that way. Wether it's a good choice is a different matter. Playing a game where you have the illusion - or maybe the hope - that your game choices matter in a story which is all about being able to change the past seems curious and contradictory ... Until you realize that in the end, the story is ultimately about giving the dying patients the illusion that something changed, while it really didn't ... So, genius or just annoying? Make up your own mind about that. Story : 4/5. The game delivered in this category, as expected. In the end, it was the story of two people failing to understand one another, a bittersweet meditation on what it really means to be "someone", to have an identity and memories. However, after following through this excellent story, this fascinating grey world became entirely black and white with a seemingly out of place happy ending which resolved every problem without actually adressing it. The sappy ending can ALSO be viewed in a meta way, however ...
A cute, very easy and very short game. Feels and plays like some smartphone game to me. Graphics & Art Direction - 3.5/5 The cutesy art direction is frankly what made me buy this game. The hand-painted world is nice, the monsters and creatures are so kawai that you almost don't want to fight them. On the other hand, the art style is also very derivative and inspired by every fantasy stereotype ever. Music & Sound - 2.5/5 Not much to say here. The whole game only has two tracks (!) : a "world map" theme and a battle theme. They're both catchy enough, but nothing to write home about. More would have been nice. The battle sounds are ok. World & Story - 1/5 The "story" is the most derivative thing I've seen in years (and given how deritative are most RPGs' or strategy games' stories these days, that's saying something) : bad guy stole stuff, go confront the bad guy. Some of the dialogue is mildly funny and makes fun of RPG and fantasy stereotypes. Gameplay - 3.5/5 The gameplay could be best described as "strategy-lite" : think of a classic such as Heroes of Might and Magic, only very simplified. After each battle, you whole army is resurrected, so you never lose it, and can only make it grow, the mildly tough boss battles only becoming a matter of recruting more warriors before taking on the boss once more. There are seven recrutable "classes", they're varied enough. Some battles are fun (usually boss battles) and require a bit of strategy, mostly based on the speed of different enemies and that of your own troops, trying to protect your ranged fighters and take down tough enemies before they reach you. The game is laughably short, however. I finished it in maybe 5 hours, and keep in mind that I like to enjoy games by playing them veeery slowly, always leaving to make coffee, taking breaks, etc. So for a more impatient or quicker gamer, the game could easily be over in 1 or 2 hours.
Graphics : 5/5 - the gameworld is gorgeous to look at with its hand-painted little islands of rock that float above a surreal sea of either vortex-y nothingness or some strange and fantastic lands. The art design is fun and full of charm and detail. Music & Sound : 5/5 - The Music is EXCELLENT. One of the best soundtracks I've heard in years. A sometimes strange mix of classic video game tunes (one or two wouldn't be out of place in a Final Fantasy), instruments such as harps, violins and banjos are heard alongside electronic music and cool beats. The game's music subtly evokes such feelings as loss, terror, battle-frenzy and the like. Story/Gameworld/Atmosphere : 3/5 - Hmm. On one hand, the atmosphere, greatly helped by graphics and sound, is both melancolic and surreal. On the other hand, the story is both really simple and strangely confusing. It's simple because you always have a basic understanding what is going on and what mcguffin you're going to hunt next, but it is also really confusing, as a great city is introduced, with complex issues such as racism and exploitation, but it isn't really elaborated upon. The narrator just muses on some aspects of it (when you're trying to listen while having the mind occupied with trashing windbags who attack from all four directions) and then goes on to musings on something else. Visually, there are many reminders and symbols pointing to recent events such as the Cold War, the psychological mecanisms associated with " othering", and the use of the A-Bomb. Still, it's feels pretty rushed and unfinished. Gameplay : 3,5/5 - while fun and entertaining for an RPG-lite (and surprisingly difficult and timing-based at times), the gameplay has some flaws, such as trying to run on wayyy too narrow paths and falling into the abyss time and time again before you can master the preciseness of the movements (there is also a horrendous but brief platforming phase near the end of the game).
Summary : "Race the Sun" is a cool little game. While absolutely not revolutionary in any way, there is just a feeling of upbeat coolness and freedom that I felt while flying throught the desertic levels. To me, the game is best played in short bursts, and then it becomes almost a meditative experience, your mind solely occupied with flying at a super high speed and dodging obstacles. Graphics - 3/5 : while the minimalistic graphics create an almost sureal feeling, as several reviewers noted, they are the very textbook definition of MINIMALISTIC. Might turn some people off. The game's clearly not about the graphics anyway. Sound - 4/5 : the electronic music is both relaxing and fast-paced, changing with such factors as the region you're travelling through and the sun's position relative to the horizon. The music is very appropriate for the sort of speedy flying experience that "Race the Sun" is. Story/Gameworld/Atmosphere - 3/5 : there is no story, and the atmosphere is so barren that you're likely to project your own thoughts and imagination into it, which is not necesarily a bad thing. Gameplay : 3/5 - the gameplay is fun, but becomes pretty difficult and precise in later levels. The best scored user generated levels are also fun, but have varying difficulty. The controls are beyond simple, you can jump right in ten seconds after booting the game up. Extra : a really cool and friendly atmosphere all around. User submitted levels are often interesting. Each race starts with a optimistic, ironic and/or absurd musing about life, flying around the Universe and Everything. Believe it or not, crashing into buildings is also fun and is even rewarded by the creators of the game.
"Trine" is full of charm, whimsy and the feelings of classic fantasy adventure. The pros : + If there's one thing everyone agrees on, it's the graphics. Trine is already hands down one of the most beautiful games I've ever played in my life, if there's one game more beautiful than that, that could only be Trine 2, which I haven't played yet :) The 2.5D always was the best way to showcase your art direction without having to go for extra-high resolution and textures (look at Valkyrie Profile : Silmeria on PS2). Since Trine started as a little indie game, the graphics are all the more impressive. + The game difficulty is yours for chosing, personally I played almost the whole game on Easy difficulty because I wanted to dedicate myself to the platforming and looking at the gorgeous vistas, but if you rise the difficulty, the enemies will have more HP and that can be a challenge. + The soundtrack : very medieval sounding, the main melody will be stuck in your head for hours! + The fairy-tale like feel, the easy humour and the narrator who sounds like some old grandfather by the fire treasuring every instant of his tale. The cons : - Some characters are clearly more fun to play with that others ... The Thief and the Wizard have very interesting abilities and really add to the platforming element, but the Knight is pretty dull, you'll only use it for fighting the same skeletons over and over again. - Even after the patch, there are still some minor bugs. - If you're a seasoned platforming veteran and have a normal computer unlike my own (mine is an old laptop and lags terribly) I guess the game can be a bit too easy. As someone pointed out, on the other hand, it can be perfect to play with the whole family. I enjoyed Trine immensely. After finishing the game there is still work to be done for those willing to : higher difficulties, a bonus level, achievements ... I think that I will come back for more ...
