The RPG genre has long been dominated by some of the biggest names in the industry; Zelda and Final Fantasy are to name but a few. The complexity of the character base and the mixture of puzzles and battles keeps its fans wanting more. When I was offered World to the West, I was intrigued to see how it would compare to these much-loved titles.
Developed by Rain Games and published by Soedesco, this colourful RPG adventure has you exploring a linear world filled with; monsters, gold and puzzles. You control a team of 4 unlikely heroes, each has their skills and all of them must work together to uncover the mysteries that this medieval world has to offer.
A follow up to Teslagrad.
World to the West is the standalone follow up to the indie hit Teslagrad. Fans of this side-scrolling game will find a new open-world experience that follows a linear storyline. Your 4 heroes do not know that they must work together on their journey to finding a priceless treasure deep to the west of the country. A mystical force brings the team together. They soon discover their heads adorning a totem pole that acts as; a fast travel portal, a checkpoint, and where you swap usable characters.
Though the story follows a set path, you have the freedom to explore anywhere that you can access. Locked doors, moveable platforms, soft ground and more will prevent you from progressing. When you find your path is blocked, you must change to a suitable teammate, or try another route. This skill-based path element was reminiscent of many of the puzzles found in Zelda: A Link to the Past. It was a fantastic twist that makes you think about many aspects of the problem at hand. It was also interesting that you’d be allowed to travel so far before the game forced you to go back. Most times, it was 1 step forward and 2 steps back. It was frustrating, especially as there was no way to track your progress.
It’s fun, but slow going.
The well-written dialogue, weird combination of teammates, and clever puzzles make this a really fun game to play. It’s Lost Viking style puzzle solutions will make you break out a wry smile as the obvious answers suddenly smack you in the face. However, what jumped out to me was the slow-going gameplay. Nothing felt rushed, and progress seemed drawn out. This wasn’t helped by the fact that you had to change characters and then complete the same journey again. It wasn’t so much a fellowship of would-be heroes, but a more unruly gathering.
Another welcome twist to the gameplay was the simplicity of the combat, and that your enemies are more than disposable assets. Fighting is a piece of cake, and this includes any of the main bosses. It takes no time to assess the way to win a fight, so you get to focus more time on the puzzles. I particularly enjoyed the hypnotism mechanic, where mind control allowed you to turn your foes into pawns in your own game of chess. This added another layer to the puzzle conundrum and helps you to keep searching for a solution.
For an older game, it looks great.
Originally released in 2017, World to the West has aged well. The cartoon style, bright colours and interesting landscapes mean that there is plenty to look at. The character models weren’t as detailed as I’d like, but you rarely see them up close because of the bird’s-eye perspective. A lack of camera rotation bothered me more than it should have, and I constantly felt like I was missing out on hidden paths or objects. Like the detailing, it was a minor thing, but it would have been a good feature to have.
The audio is as expected. A punchy soundtrack adds both energy and atmosphere to the proceedings. It was obvious to me that Rain Games are invested in retro and old-school games as all the song have a classic RPG vibe. The sound effects are good, but didn’t stand out. Maybe it was all too familiar for my liking.
4 different approaches, each as easy as the last.
Four different characters means four unique gameplay styles. I was worried that it would confuse and be tedious, but it wasn’t. Tutorial pop-ups help to advise of any new mechanics, and everything else is common sense. It’s a joy to play and allows you to focus on solving the many puzzles.
Because you are free to roam the world, you will stumble into the hidden artefacts by chance. These forgotten relics form the collectable portion of the game and add an incredible amount of replay value, if you like that sort of thing. The achievement list is brutally intertwined with the need to find them all, so completionists are in for a tough time.
An old game, but is it worth it?
I enjoyed my time venturing through the different areas, and solving the many puzzles, but I didn’t like the slow gameplay. The constant swapping of characters and walking the same path was too tedious for me. This already has a large fan base, and I can only see it getting stronger because of its unique mechanics. Unfortunately, I won’t be jumping on that bandwagon. Do I recommend it? If you like slow puzzle games with an adventure twist, then yes. If you’re tempted, buy a copy here! Can your team of 4 strangers work together to unearth the treasure in the west? They must, otherwise failure is guaranteed and fate is wrong.
