Saviorless

O jogo, no quesito visual, é belíssimo; ele me agrada. A história, com aqueles narradores falando da história e a modificando, é interessante, porém o que não me agradou muito foi a gameplay, pois, para mim, não foi gostoso controlar o boneco. Eu fiquei mais puto, estressado, incomodado do que gostando de controlá-lo, como quando eu dou o pulo de um lugar mais alto, o boneco, ao atingir o chão, agacha por causa da altura e fica um momento parado, e então eu morro porque a porra do bicho gigante correndo atrás de mim me alcança e me mata. Mas admito que isso é uma escolha que não me agradou e não um defeito. Tem outras coisinhas também que me incomodaram, que não vou falar, pois não aguento mais ver letras.

Saviorless is a trial-and-error platformer with an incredible art style, great art direction, decent visual storytelling, and inconsistent gameplay. Duration: 4.3 hours to get the Platinum* (on my first run, I got the secret ending, so I had to replay the entire game from scratch to get the normal one. Big flaw in the game.) Gameplay: A mix of trial-and-error platforming and 2D action. Pros: Incredible, fully hand-drawn art, with elements that blend a Disney-esque style reminiscent of Eyvind Earle with something perhaps closer to Samurai Jack (especially the latest series), where angular shapes and sharp lines meet raw landscapes, bold colors, and broad expanses. The game gets frustration just right, with the protagonist being VERY slow in his human form, while the other forms are much more dynamic. The story is interesting, featuring unexpected and fascinating gore alongside fairy-tale elements. Cons: The gameplay lacks bite. While it is well-crafted in some areas, it can also be frustrating in both directions, and it fails to capture the grit typical of trial-and-error games like Ori, remaining limited by the mechanics of its two roles (Savior/Human). The Savior sections, specifically, are uninteresting from a combat perspective, with the only truly memorable boss fight coming at the end. The puzzles are cute, but sometimes you realize you've wasted dozens of seconds just before dying, which can lead to genuine frustration. The narrative, while fascinating, remains shallow, and this greatly weakens the sense of connection to the setting. Advice (personal and subjective) for the developers, if they ever read this: 1) Dialogues. The dialogue is good, but it doesn't get enough space. I realize the story is short and the game itself is even shorter, but without voice acting, dialogue is relatively cheap to implement and can give a story more room to breathe, especially when it contains implications and suggestions that make the player think. This does happen here, but not nearly enough. 2) Bestiary/Catalogue. A catalogue of creatures, places, and even objects is UNFORGIVABLE to be missing from a game with so much incredible artwork. It's practically free for you as developers, can easily be made using sketches or concept art, and can provide a lot of extra entertainment for the player. It can also encourage people to spend more time with the game and, as a result, become more attached to the world and the product. Hollow Knight teaches us how effective this can be. 3) Silent narration is fine, but being loud and clear doesn't hurt either. The game gives us very little reason to become attached to the story or the main character. Who is he? Why does he want to become a Savior? Why is this the only story we get to hear? Surely, by replaying the game, you can understand a few extra things. The problem is that the narrative itself doesn't create enough mysteries and questions to make me want to grab a notepad and start taking notes — and I'm very much a notepad-and-notes person. I think this happens because the story is immediately very dreamlike and confusing. Maybe that's exactly what you were going for, and that's fine, but keep in mind that a story like this can be much less engaging than one that actively makes the player ask questions and search for answers. Otherwise, great work, and I wish the best to the developers. I hope you get to make more beautiful games like this one.