NODE is a 2025, 2.5D puzzle platformer game, developed and published by Lapsus Games. It’s set after the Cold War era, when the great Soviet Union had fallen. I can’t lie, puzzle and platformer never fit together for me, especially when it’s 2.5D, but I gave it a chance either way. Today, we will take a dive into it and see, what NODE has to offer for us.
An Apocalyptic Welcome
When you start the game, a simple menu will welcome you, with basic options, and a background that justifies the idea of the Cold War theme. A broken down nuclear facility, with an alarm that’s flashing every 2-3 seconds. The building looks like it’s been blown up years ago.
When starting a game, you get two game modes. A Platformer Mode and a Timeline Mode. The first one, is the normal difficulty one, with basic controls, and interaction. On the other hand, Timeline Mode is the harder mode that changes the control scheme entirely. Instead of moving freely with the controls, you have to set up sequences with timed commands. For this playthrough, I played on Platformer Mode. This turns out to be just as difficult, because the game will remove all HUD elements, leaving you with basic controls, and in-game dialogues only. But then the question arises, how is it easier?
Welcome to the Wastelands
The story introduction begins. It’s a simple, but yet intriguing one. A nuclear facility blows up, no one can approach it due to radiation, even drones were sent and failed to infiltrate. Until one day, they decide to put the drone, designed for a Mars exploration, to work. This drone is called NODE, which is dropped into the frozen, snowy terrain to move through the dead forests and wasted Soviet traps to infiltrate the place. This is where your journey begins.
As you approach the facility, the soundtrack becomes more eerie, signaling the post-apocalyptic nuclear wastelands. It gave me the chills to listen to it. As you get closer and closer, you will see more and more drones which failed to move in. Once you are on the outskirts, you will see the left behind cars, torn apart street lights, and no signs of any life. Just an apocalypse.
Left or Right?
The controls are very simple. Since I played on Platformer Mode, for moving all I had to press were ‘WASD’ and ‘Space’ for jump. Although it’s easy to use, it’s very hard to control. Moving up and down can be bugged, sometimes getting stuck on walls, or fences. In other cases, you can move with your robot until it falls, because the buttons get stuck. For interactions, you need to press ‘E’. With this you can move up and down in elevators, or open a door. During my playthrough I had huge issues with moving left and right. Whenever NODE died, when respawning, it switched up the controls. From then on I moved left with ‘D’ and right with ‘A’. This was very frustrating in some areas, for example on the laser part, where you need to be really precise with your timing and movement. The way I fixed it was with reloading the game from the last autosave. But then it repeated if I died again. They are all messed up.
Later, you get time manipulating abilities. You can use them pressing ‘Q’. This will bend time, making everything except NODE slower.
Someone’s Always Watching
The level designs are simple yet fits the environment. As you progress lower and lower, the darker the facility becomes. When I first went down, every camera and light was following me, making you uncomfortable and making you think there are others watching you. This is also showcased better when NODE loses communication with the communication center and is left alone. On the other side, once you go down, you also go up. The whole facility is a labyrinth, with NODE going to the roof even. The facility is full of robots, left behind by the Soviet engineers, which are hostile towards you. To avoid them, you need to stay out of their lights. You will need to use your controls and time-bending ability to your advantage. There are also little booby traps, which if you pass will give a little sound triggering the robots to your position.
Final Thoughts
I played through roughly half of NODE before the repeated controls bug after each death made it too frustrating for me to continue. Even with that, I think the game is okay. The game itself recommends playing with a controller, but I think the keyboard is just as good to play with. The game excels in the environment showcasing and the designs, while flawed on controls. Having these control bugs can force you to quit the game, and make the experience completely different. Due to the game’s quickness and repetitiveness, I recommend this game for those who want a quicker, and easier game to complete.
