I have a horrible confession to make: I only played this game because it was free. I had previously passed this title over because …it looked a bit childish to me… and I’d grown out of platformers… and it was cartoony… and many other reasons that, in hindsight, are total rubbish.
But when it was one of the two premiere free titles for the reimagined ‘Games with Gold’ programme on Xbox One, I thought I’d give it a quick go. Now my only regret is that I didn’t pay the developers money for it.
From the moment I started the game up I was surprised at the audio-visual feast I was served. The opening video is a sumptuously detailed, fantastically animated and vibrantly coloured digital cartoon sequence that wouldn’t look out of place in a pixar feature film (yes, I still say ‘feature film’. Get over it. )
We are introduced to our plucky young hero, ‘Max’ as he comes home from a day at school to find his younger brother in his room. …playing with his toys
Doing what I can only presume all 8 year olds do for revenge in this digital age, he turns to the internet for a magic spell to make his brother disappear – or more precisely – to have him abducted by evil. His immediate success is signalled by the appearance of a portal in his room and a big hairy claw coming through it to fulfil his wish. Our Max does at least have the good grace to immediately regret this decision, and so dives through the portal after the monster that comes to grab Felix.
This is where we take over, having been dropped into a strange but gorgeously realised world with nothing but a desire to save our brother. The game is a ‘2.5D’ platformer – meaning that we control the character from a traditional platformer perspective, but that there are creatures and events in the background and foreground that can affect our progress (and in some cases, survival). The effect of this is terrific. As we run along (using the silky smooth and very responsive controls) to move and jump around our new environment, we can see in the background the furry creature that took our sibling in all his titanic glory making his way to his master’s castle.
These sort of sumptuous visuals are par for the course as we guide our plucky protagonist on his death-defying journey across deserts, eerie swamps, dark caves, ancient temples, lush forests and of course an evil castle. Each setting comes with its own hazards and monsters, from pillars of lava to particularly aggressive fireflies.
We aren’t left with only our wits and reactions to get us through, however. Early on we bump into an old woman who (somewhat arbitrarily) offers to imbue a weapon of our choice with mystical powers. Max is only carrying a ‘magic marker’, and so it becomes our sword and shield for the rest of the game.
The marker (moved around the screen by holding RT while moving the stick) is initially empowered with the ability to create (and destroy) pillars of earth. As the chapters progress we are joined by the power to create, shape and cut tree branches, to create vines, to create and shape water sprays, and to throw fireballs.
The power to manipulate the environment is what takes the game above a simple platformer and into the realms of puzzle game. Your progress will constantly be impeded by puzzles and problems that require a lot of brainpower and (increasingly complex) applications of your various powers to progress.
Initially this may be as simple as creating a pillar to reach an inaccessible ledge. Later on it may require a more cerebral solution, such as creating a specifically shaped tree branch, and snaping it so it falls onto a water spray you have shaped to push it over to an area from which you can jump on it and reach a vine of your creation.
The puzzles are fantastically well planned out so that they provide pause for thought and great satisfaction when bested, but never ruin the perfect pacing. They are also interspersed with far more traditional platform elements that require quick reactions, careful timing and pixel perfect jumping. Just in case that alone isn’t enough to keep you playing, there are 75 ‘evil eyes’ and 18 ‘amulet pieces’ to collect. These each provide new puzzles and challenges as reaching them will usually require a diversion from the main level.
The only real downsides are the length (it can be easily completed in 5-6 hours) and the pen controls. Occasionally the imprecise nature of the joystick control for the magic marker will lead to several failed attempts at drawing the vine or branch you want. It can occasionally be annoying, but its a million miles from game breaking.
Overall this game is great. The graphics are just beautiful with constantly high quality from start to finish. Both the music and voice acting are top-notch and combine with a great musical score to lend a brilliant atmosphere which is in turns endearing, exciting and creepy.
This game would be worth every penny at it’s normal selling price, but while its free this month there is no excuse to pass it by.
Grab this, now.
HooksaN was a community contributor to ICXM, writing 2 articles in 2014 covering game reviews. ICXM operated as an independent Xbox and Windows gaming outlet through the early Xbox One era, when the platform’s library and policies were still being reshaped after the 2013 reveal, drawing from a rotating bench of editorial volunteers. They post on X as @hooksan.