By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
Synopsis:
Journey to a strange world in search of the fabled Oracle in this fantasy comedy point-and-click adventure. Play as Leo, a struggling student with the ability to breathe underwater, and explore a desert island and the depths of an alien ocean to uncover your school’s dark past.
From Cosmic Void (Blood Nova, The Corruption Within) comes a new point-and-click pixel art adventure game that will draw players into a fantastical world of magic and surrealism…
I loved my time with The Corruption Within, so I was always eager to dive into Twilight Oracle, and my expectation levels were incredibly high, given the quality of games that have come before it. While I never imagined it wouldn’t, Twilight Oracle surpasses my expectations and I had an incredibly enjoyable time playing this unique video game. Not only did it transport me, as the character, to a magical world, but it also transported me back in time, to the games I loved playing as a kid. The type of games that made me fall in love with gaming in the first place. Twilight Oracle penetrates and triggers my core memories, and they heightened my playing experience and overall enjoyment of the game.
For starters, in terms of the pixel art style, the game looks stunning! The world and characters look vibrant and Ben Cooper’s soundtrack was, hands down, one of the best multilayered video game scores that I have experienced in recent years. I loved how the score would change between locations, with the underwater environments being my favourite. The soundtrack is so good, that for the first time, I am genuinely thinking about purchasing it, as I could easily listen to that soundtrack all day! Sticking with the sound, I thought the voice cast did an incredible job, especially Ellis Knight (Leo) and Ivy Dupler (Jill). Having the majority of the characters voiced by unique performers adds an extra level in the scope and depth, with only a few performers voicing more than one character.
As for the playability, the game is sleek and polished and has been produced to a high technical level. The time, the dedication and the heart that has gone into Twilight Oracle is there for all to see. With point-and-click games, especially those that involve backtracking to previous locations, I feel you need to be able to quick jump with the mouse, and that is the case here – so another positive! With that said, at no point did I feel any frustration at having to backtrack, the game was planned and mapped out exquisitely, which ensured there was an organic flow when playing. Sticking with the frustration element, I believe Twilight Oracle works as a game for both seasoned and newcomers to the genre, as the puzzles and solutions were a positive challenge, but never a hindrance. And I feel this can sometimes be a difficult balance to get right.
In terms of the writing, the plot is engaging and the comedy and gags are vintage “90s point and click adventure game” in terms of tone and subtly. While I feel there are many influences within the game, I think the biggest vibe I got when playing Twilight Oracle was from games like Loom and The Legend of Kyrandia. While there are influences from other games and media present, this game does more than enough to stand out as a unique creation and I feel players will enjoy the influence and familiarity that the game produces, but still have an incredibly fun and engaging time.
Twilight Oracle is a remarkable video game crafted with passion, featuring a vibrant pixel art style, a captivating soundtrack, delightful humour, and is a charming throwback to 90s point-and-click adventure games.
Have you played Twilight Oracle? What did you think of the game? Let us know in the comments!
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