It features an imaginative, dark storybook art style that’s simply irresistible. Unbound: Worlds Apart’s presentation is nothing short of breathtaking. Even when the game required me to perform complex combinations of plane-shifting, dashing, and double-jumping, everything felt nice and responsive, and I never once found myself cursing the controls when I missed a jump or got squashed by a massive demonic bug. The game’s controls are snappy and satisfying. But thankfully, that couldn’t be further from the truth here. Of course, all of these powers wouldn’t mean much if Unbound didn’t play well. But things get much more exciting when you rapidly activate and deactivate the power, giving you limited flight as you rise and fall, over and over again, to clear huge chasms. As you’d expect, you can use this power to walk on ceilings. My favorite portal ability, however, is the one that changes an area’s gravitational pull. Another turns you into a heavy red block that can smash certain obstacles, crush enemies, and weigh down floating platforms that would otherwise send you shooting upward into a ceiling lined with spikes. ![]() However, its illuminating radiance shrinks as you move. For instance, one type allows you to see in dark places. Throughout the game, you’ll visit different sub-levels separated by gates that will imbue your portals with unique properties to help you navigate particular areas. This unpredictability isn’t just reserved for what you’ll find waiting behind a portal. The game’s disarming, storybook visuals belie a devilishly challenging platformer that will keep you on your toes. The way Alien Pixel Studio has managed to balance the game’s frenetic world-shifting with meticulously crafted puzzles is, quite frankly, awe-inspiring. And honestly, that’s a big part of what makes the moment-to-moment gameplay exciting. If this sounds overwhelming, it can be at times. And oftentimes, you’ll need to quickly shuffle between planes of reality to solve the game’s clever puzzles. What appears to be a harmless butterfly in your world might just turn out to be a Lovecraftian monster once you peer behind the veil of reality. And sometimes, it’s what’s on the other side that you need to be worried about. You just never know what you’re going to get until you peek behind that curtain. ![]() Other times, portals will reveal otherwise invisible platforms to help you cross wide gaps. For example, you can use portals to transform demons into blocks which be pushed to reach high ledges. These portals, represented by wide circles, transform reality in an instant. So, this power becomes Soli’s only real way of overcoming the hazards and other enemies he’ll encounter. There’s no traditional combat to speak of in Unbound. In this strange cave, he’s is granted the ability to open small portals that can shape the world around him in interesting ways. However, when the earth collapses underneath his feet, he finds himself in an unfamiliar cavern beneath his ravaged village. In the game’s opening moments, Soli’s peaceful life in a village of mystics is disrupted when a portal opens, and grotesque creatures, led by the Demon King, emerge from it to ravage the once-peaceful land. Unbound: Worlds Apart puts players in the red robes of a pint-sized mage named Soli. ![]() And it’s this innovative mechanic that really sets Unbound: Worlds Apart…well …apart from the pack. ![]() In addition to these familiar genre staples, the game also features a unique, world-warping twist. However, that’s not to say it doesn’t do anything new-quite the contrary. There’s challenging platforming, clever puzzles, and a massive map that you gradually uncover as you unlock different abilities to reach previously inaccessible areas. Developed by Alien Pixel Studios, a tiny team from Bucharest, Romania, it features many of the themes Metroidvanias are known for. And even today, the genre remains more popular than ever, especially among the indie gaming community. Konami’s 1997 classic single-handedly established the Metroidvania genre as we know it. It may be hard to believe, but it’s been nearly 25 years since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was released for the PlayStation. Unbound: Worlds Apart Review: Out Of This World
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