I love to see how 3D platforms are slowly coming back. Maybe not through many AAA (beyond Nintendo's), but through independent developers who want to recover the genre bit by bit, such as Yooka-Laylee, Snake Pass or even the remaster of Voodoo Vince. One of the proposals comes from a rather small studio compared to these other releases.
I'm talking about Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island, where we'll find a platforming duo that will have to deal with a bad guy in a space adventure. Will the guys from Right Nice Games have taken the key to capturing the magic of the classic platforms they want to emulate?
Duration
One feeling you have when playing Skylar & Plux is that everything is too simple. I understand that the game may be aimed at all audiences, but for example, an additional level where you have to combine the use of all gadgets would have been fine. Instead, after all levels of the island, we come to the final combat, which is very basic and simple. Therefore, everything is too much of the pile, without getting to emphasize in anything.
Another problem is that the adventure is really short. In about 2-3 hours you can complete the game without any problem. You may lack some inhabitants to release, but the game encourages to complete it to 100%.
Gameplay
Skylar & Plux is a classic platform. We can give double jumps, spinning attacks to kill enemies and use different gadgets. The game presents 5 levels in total, offering the three main a new item with which to offer some new mechanics. For example, with the jetpack we can fall more slowly, while with a gem we can manipulate time or with the magnet, catch the enemies and use their weapons against their companions.
Each level that your gadget introduces is completely based on it to introduce the zones of platforms and puzzles, being some parts more fun than others. Personally, my favorite part is that we play with time, creating temporary bubbles in which everything is in the past, having to use that and the power to slow down the time to overcome several puzzles and platform sections.
The game as such isn't very complicated, and the only collectibles are the cages with the inhabitants of Clover Island. If we release a certain number, they will increase our life in the central zone, this being a good incentive to look for them all. However, the game is so simple, it's not necessary either, and with a couple of health improvements, we will have no problem.
This is accentuated by two major problems. On the one hand, the design of levels is not that it's very memorable, and on the other hand, the controls are not very precise. Not only when fighting, but when jumping, which is more serious on a platform. This lack of accuracy is even worse because of the horrible performance of the game, at least in its version of Xbox One. There are slowdowns of frames and jerks constantly, and is somewhat exaggerated as there are many effects or enemies on the screen. This causes areas where we have very little control over Skylar, which is not at all pleasant.
Something that reduces the difficulty is that with the gems that serve as a coin to open the cages, and that is everywhere, also serves to regain health, with which we will rarely have problems. At most, some combat zone may be a little trouble, but because they are quite imprecise, and there are enemies that are far more effective than us.
Graphics & Design
As for the technical section, Skylar & Plux also fails to stand out in any way. His cartoon style isn't bad, but neither the scenarios nor the characters are very detailed. The animations are also quite poor, which doesn't look all very well. Performance is a serious problem, and there are other details that don't finish convincing me. For example, the loading times are too high, and the reflections in the water are disastrous, something that is very noticeable when being in a group of islands and having much water in the scenarios.
The sound is somewhat better, but not too much. The music is more normal, without getting to emphasize, but not to disturb. The same with the effects, they do, but without too much praise.
Conclusion
As a fan of the genre, i expected a lot more from Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island. I understand that the game has been developed by a very small studio, so waiting for a very large game was impossible. However, when more or less all the pieces are in place to offer interesting levels that combine different gadgets, everything is over, with the impression that nothing really cool or spectacular has happened.
All the technical problems of the title, coupled with its lack of precision in the controls, low duration and levels with little inspiration, make us stand before a game that, i can only recommend for the most staunch fans of the genre. Although Right Nice Games, have the heart in the right place to offer an interesting 3D platforms, they lack more experience, which, i hope to get with this release, to offer a better product later.
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