Mayhem in Single Valley is a tongue-in-cheek affair that is riddled with zombies, puzzles, and amusing characters. What’s more, the young hero must overcome a serious case of bad luck if he is to fulfil his potential in this fun pixelated adventure title.
Developed by Fluxscopic Ltd. and published by TinyBuild, this is an action-adventure title. What’s more, there are some glorious puzzles to solve, masses of zombie creatures to run away from, and some cruel bosses to defeat. Furthermore, you’ll learn that though the creatures are sick, they still have feelings. As such, you must find out their likes and dislikes as you try to quash this zombie invasion. However, this isn’t going to be easy as the hero is weak as piss and the zombies are fast, furious, and not as cute as they should be.
Mayhem in Single Valley will make you chuckle.
Jack is a young lad that has little to no luck. Subsequently, he is always getting into trouble no matter how hard he tries. However, his latest whoopsy dwarves anything from his past as he awakens to find the world is crumbling. Moreover, the number of survivors is limited, and those that are alive are a bit nuts, to say the least.
Single Valley was once a quiet but happy town. However, under its serene surface lies cruel secrets and many mysteries. Yet, only a few inhabitants are aware of the strange goings on, and Jack is, frankly, blissfully unaware. Unsurprisingly, his world is turned upside down when a zombie apocalypse appears before his face. But this cheeky lad doesn’t let that stop him as he undertakes a mind-blowing quest to save the town and get home in time for tea.
A brilliantly constructed plot.
Where Mayhem in Single Valley excels is its brilliant plot and wonderful drip-fed mechanics. As the game evolves, you are given new abilities, items, and information to help you to understand your surroundings. Furthermore, each unique location flows nicely and you never feel out of your depth or confused. This was even more impressive as the cryptic puzzles require you to think outside of the box. However, once you get your head around the developer’s mindset, you adjust your way of thinking and this helps immensely.
Unlike other zombie games, Jack isn’t armed for combat. Instead, he has a catapult, a selection of unusual ammo, and a special homebrew that helps to cure the plague. Yet, with an array of creatures attacking you, you must understand what foods they like if you wish to cure them all. Squirrels, rabbits, humans, dogs, bears, monkeys, and more stand in your way. Furthermore, you must combine grubs, apples, beetles, bananas, and so forth with the cure if you are to save each creature.
Using your catapult will enable you to distract each animal as you make your way across the town. However, at times, you must move furniture, save clones of yourself, and upgrade your equipment to progress. What’s more, you’ll locate key items to unlock doors, complete tasks, and appease ghostly apparitions. On top of this, you must unravel cryptic clues, use UV lights to find hidden messages, and leap across chasms with an umbrella. All the while, you will be being chased by zombies and a mysterious figure throughout.
Tight spaces and boss fights.
Another great element of Mayhem in Single Valley is the claustrophobic and hard-to-navigate world. Now, some of you may think that sounds awful. Yet, it wasn’t. With an army of zombies chasing you and limited room to move, it made the action dramatic and stressful. This was then made worse when you had to flip switches, shoo rats, or barricade doors. Moreover, don’t get me started about the angry lion and the strange secret areas hidden beneath the surface.
These elements were great, and they each played a part in the boss battles as well. These relatively simple affairs were fun, interesting, and easy once you worked out the solution. However, until you figured out what to do, you’ll run around like a headless chicken. Yes, that was a little annoying, but you were afforded a wry smile once the eureka moment struck. Consequently, though the battles weren’t the hardest I’ve come across, they were still rewarding.
Mayhem in Single Valley is a pixelated dream.
I’m sure everyone is fed up with the word pixelated. Yet, I still love this approach when it is executed correctly. Mayhem in Single Valley gets its presentation just right as the blend of colours, interesting character models, and varied locations keep things fresh. What’s more, the animation is smooth, and I rarely encountered any visual issues.
I loved what I was looking at, but the audio was better still. By finding cassette tapes, you may change the style of music. This was incredible, as each original song added drama at the right times. Whether it was a daunting song as you crept through a cave, or an upbeat track as you avoided swirling tornadoes, it never got boring. Alongside this, I enjoyed the silly but effective sound effects.
Great controls but awful inventory management.
The control system was mostly a raving success. However, the inventory management screen was a slow and tiring mess. If you wish to access your items, you must scroll through several other screens. Alongside this, if you want to combine food with any liquid, it was a clumsy affair. Yet, once you got used to these minor issues, it mattered not. As such, it doesn’t undermine the gameplay, nor does it prevent you from enjoying the experience.
Someone needs to tell the developers to ease off the collectables. Accordingly, Mayhem in Single Valley is jam-packed with weird items to collect, clones to rescue, cassette tapes to locate, and other bits to find. Thankfully, you can ignore most of these elements, but the clones reward you with rolls of tape. This everyday commodity is essential, as it is used to upgrade Jack’s skills, his backpack, and his catapult. Subsequently, finding every clone is essential if you want the best chance of surviving.
Mayhem in Single Valley is a great indie title.
I’ve played some great indie games recently. Luckily, I can say that Mayhem in Single Valley is up there with the best of a great bunch. Thanks to its witty writing, interesting characters, unique environments, and intriguing puzzles, this will keep you busy while entertaining you. Unfortunately, though, the inventory screen was clumsy, and you’ll die repeatedly. Yet, these are minor problems when you consider all the plus points. Accordingly, I loved it and I recommend that you buy it here! Are you strong and brave enough to stop the zombie apocalypse? Solve every puzzle, cure the infected, and take down the shadowy figure once and for all.
