Before starting any critique of the game, I think it’s best to define what it is, or at least what it appears to be: the first game from a solo developer. Which means, in my opinion, it would be unfair to judge it as a fully realized product. It’s better approached as a first attempt at creating a game experience. That being said.

The game’s main appeal lies in its visual style: a carefully crafted 3D mix between Oddworld and Giger, giving it an old-school, alien charm. I’m torn about this aspect: on one hand, it’s very successful in terms of design and animation, but on the other, it lacks a certain overall coherence. Throughout the game, you move through abstract environments that offer no sense of place within the world. This negatively impacts the sense of progression: I had no clues about where I was in my journey. It just felt like I was arbitrarily moving from level to level until a Steam achievement informed me I had finished.

This lack of coherence is also felt in the gameplay. The game introduces a side-scrolling stealth mechanic that, for the most part, works very well. The introduction and progression of the different elements are smooth. There are a few small inaccuracies, like how the character grabs onto chains, which can be frustrating, but that’s a minor issue.

What’s surprising is that about two-thirds into the game, the player suddenly gains the ability to fight. These combat sections are very basic and emphasize the heaviness of the animations. Even though new enemies are added to make these encounters more demanding, they don’t feel fully realized. It feels like this system must have taken a significant amount of development time (coding, animations, enemy design, etc.) while ultimately adding very little to the overall experience. On the contrary, I think that time could have been better invested elsewhere.

It’s difficult for me to give a definitive verdict on this game. If the question is “Is it a good game for 4 €?”, unfortunately, no. On Steam, you’ll find many longer and higher-quality games at the same price. But if you’re interested in exploring the early attempts of a new creator, it might be an interesting experience when it’s on sale.

Save 80% on Metal Ape on Steam

Embark on a haunting journey through a shadowy world in this atmospheric 2D platformer, drawing inspiration from classics like Oddworld, as well as modern games such as Limbo.

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