Actually, on that note, while I do intend on being as prolific as possible during the break, This weekend might be a bit of a drought. My buddies and I are gathering together to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender. We already marathon'd all of the Lord of the Rings movies, all of the Star Wars movies, the entirety of Soul Eater, the Harry Potter movies, and all the movies Pixar has made (except Cars: 2)
Long story short, don't get your hopes up for a glut of blogs as soon as the break starts up. It'll probably take us 2 or three days of straight viewing to get it done, and afterwards, I probably won't feel like sitting in front of a glowing screen for any longer than I have to.
Until then, though, Coalescence.
One of the reasons I made this intro longer than usual is because I don't have much to say about Coalescence. You play as a yellow space
Conveyance is a bit of an issue again. It's a shame because the levels themselves are so well designed that they can essentially act as tutorials in and of themselves. Unless it was some kind of class requirement to have an instructive tutorial, I see no reason why the game has to block off the use of an ability until a piece of text on the screen politely informs you that you can use it.
In terms of game feel, it's alright but could be better. The jump is kind of pathetic, leading to many instances in which I hubristically leap across a platform only to fall to my death or in which I find myself adorably jumping up at a 4-foot high ledge, not being able to clear it because my toes' every pixel didn't quite make it to the required altitude.
This is a game in which you'll need to think, and thus it can get rather frustrating rather quickly if you don't figure out a puzzle's solution. This is the nature of the beast that is puzzle games. It is, therefore, the game's job to keep the player calm as he or she figures out the puzzles at his or her own pace. Through aesthetic, the game does a great job of this. All the environments are really nice, calming shades of blue and the music slyly coils around the player's mind like a seductive boa constrictor. The game's mechanics, however, reverse the work of the aesthetic with interest.
I already mentioned the frustrating aspects of the platforming, but that's not the only control issue. Picking up and moving blocks is an integral part of the game, and the way you do this is by clicking the RMB. Not holding it down, clicking it. If you abide by your human instincts and hold on to the RMB for as long as you'd wish to hold on to the object, you're out of luck. Also, LMB throws the block that you're holding; you'd be amazed how easy it is to accidentally throw a block you meant to place, only to see it tumble down a pit, rendering the level unsolvable and leaving suicide as the only option.
To the game's credit, I expected myself to perform far more mercy kills upon my character than I had to. The levels are designed intuitively enough that you usually won't lose a block you're working with due to one or two silly mistakes. I will say, though, when you do have to suicide yourself to progress, cover your ears. The death sound effect is loud and annoying.
In short, Coalescence is a decent little romp, but every admiration of the level design or aesthetic direction can be swiftly uprooted by an annoyance caused by the mechanics or minor design flaws like the death sound effect. Play it if you want, but you won't be missing much if you skip out.
Until next time, stay gassy
Links
a game that has nothing to do with coal: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25889
