The title born on Kickstarter sees as the protagonist an orange being, vridniX, who between jumps and uncontrolled races destroys every environment, convinced to save his world. Here is the vridnix review
vridniX is an orange being, selfish and megalomaniac, who does not hesitate to propose himself as a world hero after his world, Neta-Vark, has been invaded by an alien species, the Trogogluxes, determined to exterminate the peaceful Wamnis.
The game, available in English, is proposed as a very frenetic platformer: vridniX he will be able to run, jump and attach himself to the walls with his tongue. The player's reflexes and skills will be tested through 100 levels of increasing difficulty, and in battles with all different bosses: the peculiarity of the title will be to exploit the surrounding environment to your advantage, since throwing yourself against enemies will be Game Over istantaneo.
At the end of certain levels, you will be confrontation with a boss: the player will have to lead vridniX at the end of the fight avoiding obstacles, while running away from the boss in question. After the boss fight, vridniX he will be catapulted into an environment different from the previous one, with new challenges awaiting him.
Here is a game trailer:
vridniX: a frenetic platformer… | Review
The protagonist is an orange alien who can run and jump everywhere, except on tufts of grass and on enemies: doing this means immediate Game Over. Levels are made up of different corridors and obstacles to cross: vridniX will complete the stage when he enters the portal that will catapult him to the next challenge, or to the environment after the boss fight.
vridniX is a anti-hero: completely indifferent, wherever he goes he leaves a trail of destruction unknowingly. He has the ability, by means of some dots to take, to do rotate the environment: in this way it will be able to overcome a previously insurmountable obstacle, however destroying both the environment and the peace of its inhabitants.
Unfortunately, the game environments turn out not too inspired: for those accustomed to the platforming genre, the characterization of the levels will be obvious, passing from environments full of obstacles, to dark environments with certain moments of light, to environments dotted with traps. The latter are not highlighted, transforming the mechanics of the title into those of a trial-and-error: choice that raises the bar of the difficulty of the title, but suitable only for the most patient players.
… From inaccurate controls | Review
vridniX is capable of running and jumping anywhere: the player's action will be delegated to the pressure of three keys, or right-left-jump. The orange protagonist, in fact, it will run without stopping at the press of a button, making it impossible to make precise measurements to jump over an obstacle, making the action very fast-paced. The player's reflexes, very often, will be tested, forcing him to be very attentive to the pitfalls that hide behind every jump.
The ability to also stick to the walls adds depth to the gameplay of the game, but very often one finds oneself wondering how that is possible sometimes it sticks and sometimes it doesn't, especially when required. This feature is one of the major problems of the title, based completely on the timing and responsiveness of the commands.
The other major flaw is, in fact, the poor responsiveness of commands: the jump command is sometimes inaccurate and indeed you will find yourself repeating the level several times, which is really boring especially if you lose at the last second due to a fallacious input.
vridniX: un trial-and-error travestito da platform | Review
Opera is by no means a platform for all players: it is aimed at those looking for a very high level of challenge and to those who want the satisfaction of being able to beat the game. Its merits are not to be found in the platform mechanics with inaccurate controls, but on the trial-and-error side of the title itself: the player is pushed to repeat the level and constantly improve, winning the biggest challenge that the game offers. Can you beat the game, or will vridniX exhaust you?
The death of the protagonist will be very frequent, caused by the inability to control his frantic race (except in the direction) and by unmarked traps: immediately the player will have to repeat the level, with practically absent loading times. However, the game can be completed in one / two hours, an operation that unlocks a Steam trophy: it will be the most difficult challenge to face, addressed only to the most hardcore players.
vridniX: final verdict
The game was developed by only 2 people, Jonathan Rodelet e Gregory of Framond, funded on Kickstarter and published on Steam at the price of 9,99 €: it is in all respects an indie, with a simple story and uninspired settings. The difficulty of the title is not to be found in the platform features, but in the inaccuracies of the commands and in the trial-and-error mechanics.
Despite its obvious problems, vridniX it offers a high level of challenge and gets the player into the classic “one more try and then I shut down” loop. Even after a death of the protagonist occurred due to the player's distraction or due to the problems listed above, the game pushes you to repeat the level to overcome the previously insurmountable obstacles.
vridniX it's a game that deserves the sufficiency: the imprecise controls are the background to a predictable but nice story, a high level of challenge makes you want to replay the title, to the detriment of the player's patience.
6.7 Difficult but not convincingPoints in favor
- High level of challenge
Points against
- Inaccurate controls
- Uninspired game environments
