As a fan of the Blacksad comics, I was really looking forward to this game, but all of the technical issues really detracted from the experience. I bought it at launch but after reading the reviews, I waited to play it in the hopes that the patches would resolve them, but they're still significant at 1.05. Highlights: - Strong writing and characterization that feels consistent with the Blacksad milieu. - The moral choices are interesting and more subtle than the Good/Bad dichotomy of similar games, and they feel more consequential compared to the Telltale games like Fables (which this game is very much in the style of). - The use of the observations and deductions mechanics instead of traditional adventure game inventory puzzles really work well in the context of the detective story. Issues: - Controls are really awkward and there's often a lot of wiggling back and forth trying to figure out whether a point of interest exists or if you're just not in the right position/camera angle to trigger it. - This is particularly frustrating for the various collectible achievements in the game, where some seem impossible to trigger even though their visual representation is visible on the screen. - Lockpicking minigame is broken with an XBox controller: hitting RT after successfully rotating the two thumbsticks into position doesn't complete the game. I got past each of those events by disconnecting and reconnecting my controller, which immediately advances past the lockpicking without having to play it at all. - Achievements don't seem to trigger correctly; I've finished the game and have the game completion achievement, but somehow the game failed to record any achievements after chapter 5 for me, including the unmissable ones like taking the sixth beating. - Nothing is skippable in the game: not dialog, cutscenes, or previously played bits of the Quick Time Events which makes replaying it entirely a turn-off, even in short sequences where you have to retry.
This is an example of why I love indie games: a pinball and Zelda-style action adventure just doesn't sound like it would work on paper, and maybe if it had to sustain a larger game, the concept might be stretched a little thin. But clocking in at around 5 hours, Creature in the Well is a fascinating exploration of the concept that doesn't outstay its welcome. Each new area introduces a new variant on the "pinbrawler" mechanic to keep things fresh, and they did a really good job of refining the feel of the core of charging and striking mechanics so that the basic gameplay loop is pretty satisfying. I found myself playing the whole thing through in one sitting without meaning to, just interested in seeing what else they could do with the conceit, and I was not disappointed. A couple of minor caveats: this game is definitely on a budget. There are very few assets, liberally reused with palette swaps, and if you care about things like voice acting, then you're going to be disappointed. The game does have a nice art style and the credits/lore at least hint at a larger world, but most of it comes across as just interesting set dressing - don't go in expecting exploration or world building. The difficulty curve can be a little off as well, since the emphasis on different mechanics can come down to how well you take to each of them. (That ball-catching boss fight ... oof.) In balance though, definitely a game worth experiencing, and I hope to see more from Flight School P/S: additional props to the designers for making the game 100% completable without having to start a new game. I was pleasantly surprised when I figured out I could wander back out into the desert.
