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Deadlight
Deadlight is the gloomy new Zombie kid on
the block, with a market already full of Zombies we wondered what in the
world this game could offer that the so many other Zombie games could
not. Tequila Works sent over a code for us to check out the game and see
what makes this side-scroller so inviting.
Deadlight’s story is the basic end of the world kind of story fodder
that one expects from a Zombie based adventure. The real twister here is
the game presentation is a throwback style of side scrolling
plat-forming adventures that tends to make it rather endearing. The hero
in the game is seen as a Silhouette. Old school platform gaming
influences and inspiration are obvious in the game. Games such as the
original Prince of Persia come to mind, and again that is not a bad
thing at all. What tequila Works has done is make something on an
original mash up….bringing Zombies and some cool plat-forming together.
While not a genre defining game, it is fun to play with interesting
visuals and some timing and jump coordination to tantalize and tease
players to the next nail biting level. Bonus, it all works out
beautifully.
It’s a game that not only throws Zombies at the player to dodge and
fight, but also some wicked traps and environmental obstacles to
negotiate through. The puzzles are not mind benders by any stretch of
the word and most of the experience is linear. Lots of timed jumps and
hit a lever to make this happen push a box, creating a new platform get
here to go there. And so on. Some of the timed platform jumping takes
place with parts of the environment falling away and leading the
character to a death if they are not fast enough. Some jumps are simple
enough, while others may require a sprint and jump.
To survive in the game and advance it’s more about avoiding the undead.
While you do get firearms, ammunition is scarce. So if you are going to
blow through your ammo you had better make sure that the situation
merits the expenditure. Avoidance and luring the Zombies to their
destruction goes a long way to satisfaction and saving of the precious
ammunition.
Now you would not think that a mostly 2D game could make you jump and
wiggle in your seat in anticipation, but the designers manage to do just
that. Using the time loved foreground sudden movement of something
across screen that you never really see. Then of course there are the
zombies. Shambling forth from the shadows and you try to stay ahead of
them and at times just barely make it. It all comes down to some wincing
moments. On that note, as with platform gaming, there can be some
frustrations too when you do not time some of those longer jumps just
right. On the flip side of that gaming coin of course is the awesomeness
of making that jump and escaping character death just by the tips of
those grasping fingers.
Our hero in Deadlight is Randall (Randy to his friends) Wayne (The name
sounds like a country singing star), and the adventure takes place in
Seattle in the late 1980’s. The story moves along with the help of what
I kind of consider an animated comic book feel, and also with our hero’s
journal entries. The journal gives us some flash backs and play levels
that move the story along and provide some of the back story to Randy
Wayne and the trials and tribulations that have transpired so far.
The game is a bit high priced; the production value is very good. For
some players this may make it well worth the Microsoft points it costs.
A straight forward game with for the most part simple environmental
puzzles, though at times some of the darker environments can make seeing
just how to get past a puzzle a little difficult. (Just adjust your TV
or game settings) Story presentation wise, there are moments of pacing
that start out really well during the games progression, but players may
find later levels feeling a bit anti-climactic. After a play through
there is not much in the line of replay ability because it’s the same in
each play.
Have fun, play games
Edwin Millheim |
