LOOKING-GLASS HOUSE Somewhere around 90 minutes in I’ve quit with the sole purpose of checking out that developer’s other titles and perhaps adding them to my wishlist. In the end I’ve decided against doing so, since they were not my cup of tea genre-wise, but it obviously indicated how much of an impression The World Next Door had made on me in such a short period of time. It just feels so warm and cozy. There’s that innocence and sense of adventure hanging in the air. And the characters are made with an astonishing amount of imagination and are also extremely likable. ALL of them. They feel like a real bunch of teenagers and not what a studio of 40-year-old plus French developers imagine a kid should be (Yes, I’m looking at you, DontnoD). The game also has its own language, mostly consisting of single words exclaimed to accompany the written text. I’ve always loved when a game does that. It just indicates a little extra care and effort on the side of the developers*. These simple utterances are also voiced so flawlessly. Quite impressive how much meaning can be conveyed over what is, more or less, a single grunt or hum or another such onomatopoeia. The game’s sense of humor is on the spot, and I’ve kept catching myself grinning at the screen for more or less the entire game. Finally, there are plenty of choices during the conversations – they feel nice and help develop the protagonist, even if they only have marginal impact on the story. The side quests -with the three exceptions - are extremely simple. Usually involving walking a screen or two and interacting with a person or finding an item and bringing it back, which happened to be perfect since it only gave me the reason to get to learn more about the characters. Finally, the overarching story has a moment or two when it gets a bit more serious, but it never gets particularly dark and the conclusion (even the secret ending – achieved by completing a certain lengthy quest) is visible from a mile away. THE QUEEN’S CROQUET-GROUND Crawling now. Each of the dungeons has a unique mood and style. They are simple, short and mostly linear but there are some missables every now and then. The battles rely on the mostly unchanged match-3+ mechanics with enemies and the player constantly moving on board and attacking each other. Surviving most of these encounters is basically effortless, the main difficulty stemming from some of the battles happening on narrow planks making it difficult to avoid the enemies’ attacks and shape the player’s own spells. There were only two or three such spots throughout the entire game, which doesn’t make it a major problem. I’ve had an issue with the dash. While it does make the protagonist move quickly from one spot to another, it does not provide any invincibility frames. Even worse, if the enemy starts its melee attack animation, the hit is going to land no matter how far the protagonist gets away by the time said animation finishes. Took me a few minutes of getting used to it. THE LOBSTER QUADRILLE The music is definition of chill – indie stuff. It’s not particularly memorable but it properly complements the events happening on the screen. Also works perfectly in the background of activities outside of the game like, for example, writing this mini review. WAKING, SHAKING and WHICH DREAMED IT? In the end, it’s a short, simple and relaxing game. I’ve absolutely loved the World Next Door’s universe. There are only a few locations and characters, but all of them are memorable and charming. Even those who appeared in the end-game credits for a mere few seconds, looked like they could have interesting story arcs of their own. What I’m trying to say here is, probably, that I would not mind a full-fledged 100-hour plus roleplaying sequel happening Next Door, eh devs? * And, as weird as it may sound in the context of love and effort being put into the process of game creation, I’ve seen (heard) this particular phenomenon happening first in a Ubisoft production, can you believe? Rayman 2 actually, some 25 years ago. ** Titles for the paragraphs come from the Alice’s Adventures and Through the Looking Glass. As always, do with what you read here whatever you wish and as always Try to have a wonderful life
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