Recent reviews by Svipur

A linear and rather simple platformer with slowish positioning- and rhythm-based combat, with an emphasis on the latter. You get a few more abilities later on, which are mechanically sound; however, the game is extremely short, which means that most of the mechanics don't get enough time to breathe.

Decent boss fights and level design, though.

A couple more technical quirks:
- The game plays either in full screen or in a very small non-resizable window.
- Controls can't be remapped at all. Gamepad controls are all right. Keyboard controls are something alien (cursor keys to move, A to attack, S to jump).

This expanded version of Saboteur actually shows that the concept is both solid and unique enough to warrant a full-fledged game without heavily relying on nostalgia.

Things it does right:

1. The new areas are a good mix of open-ended exploration (a-la original Saboteur) and linear challenge sequences.

2. Focuses more on the awkward - but weirdly satisfying - platforming physics of the original game. More jumping challenges, more exploration challenges with an emphasis on where you should be dropping from, etc.

3. Makes you realise that the original game had stealth in it. As in, if you move slowly behind a guard, you can approach and kill him without him noticing.

4. Does away with the time limit for the most part, confining timed challenges to their own obstacle courses.

Things it could do away with:

1. The original menu design.
2. Limit of one carriable item.
3. No ladder snapping when climbing down, requiring you to be pixel perfect when positioning yourself above ladders.
4. Dogs behaviour on the hardest difficulty. Combined with stuff falling from the ceiling, and a time limit, those vicious things just tear you to shreds in seconds, forcing you to treat them as something to run by hoping they'll turn around too late to one-shot you. Jumping over them doesn't work since you can't move for a split second after landing (meaning, you're dead).

So what I'm saying is this. Saboteur is a niche of its own, feeling quite fresh even after all the Marks of the Ninjas and Shinobis of later days. It's still worth playing.

But take Saboteur, touch up the graphics, zoom out the default view a bit, add some more stealth, more platforming, more exploration, maybe some more abilities (Rope swinging? Ledge climbing? Wall climbing?) - and you won't need to put any Gremlin plushies into the game.

The game looks like Alone in the Dark in black and white, with some noir elements thrown in. A match made in heaven. Sure, most of the reviews mention the bad controls and the one-shot enemies, but it can't be that bad - or so I thought.

You see, this game has your character moving relative to the camera (as opposed to using so-called tank controls). So you press right - your character walks rightwards. Simple enough.

At the same time, the game uses fixed camera angles, with several cameras per room, changing automatically depending on your character's location.

This not only makes walking around the mansion needlessly disorienting (as you often find yourself losing any sense of direction and have no idea where you came from and where things are relative to each other), but also makes for an incredibly frustrating experience when you're trying to escape one of the enemies. As in, you're pressing Right to run away from the enemy, then the camera suddenly does a 180, and now you're running TOWARDS the enemy.

I cannot stress this enough, this happens much too often. And this is also compounded by the fact that you often find yourself walking into an enemy (who, might I remind you, all kill you with one touch) simply because the camera is facing away from it.

Or because it teleported right in front of you. Or because you couldn't see it in the dark right until you've stuck your nose into it (which, yes, does happen).

In short, the game oozes style and might be worth a playthrough for the atmosphere alone, but it quickly loses its charm and becomes dissapointingly frustrating.

I met this wonderful girl on my way to jail. Seeing me for the first time in her life, she told me we're destined to be together.

She told me to get her a wedding present.

She pulled out a gun in case I said no.

I jumped over the bullet as it was about to hit me. I almost dodged the bullet.

But then it turned out to be a heat-seeking one.

Every broomstick has a soul,
Every pebble is a troll.

A point-and-clicky presented as a fairytale told by a silky-voiced narrator sitting by a comfy crackling fire. This one chap does all the voice acting in the game, from grumpy mountain-like trolls to countless Thumbelinas you encounter on your way to your mysterious Purpose - and this gimmick actually sounds quite apropos and doesn't outstay its welcome.

Another thing that sets this game from your bog-standard inventory mix'n'match fare is the ability to cast spells at any time, regardless of what you're currently holding. Some puzzles even require you to cast several spells in a very specific order, which forces you to cut down on the trusty old 'try everything on everything' approach and actually stop to think about what you're trying to do for a moment.

The locations look kind of samey, mostly because of the unwavering use of this near-monochrome palette (so yes, the whole game looks like what you see in the screenies); but this stylistic choice makes a lot of sense once you come across some of the more grotesque creatures and you realise that the game is not making a big deal out of it. It's a welcome feeling of comfort, exactly what you're looking for when you're sitting by a crackling fire with a silky-voiced chap by your side telling you stories.

Älvar giggle in the branches,
Mocking you before you fall.