An atmsopheric an enjoyable zombie sidescroller, but ultimately unfulfilling.
Premise: Atmospheric and desolate side-scrolling platformer set in zombie-infested Seattle
There's a phenomenon in music in which a genre becomes so bloated with repetitive content and lacks any lasting or widespread innovation that it is said to be "dead". Any new compositions draw inspiration from the same source material without radically changing and are reinforced through commercial success, leading to new music being made from the same source material to capitalize on this successful formula; it becomes a stagnating pit of circular logic. Pop-Punk and Metalcore are both religiously derided and defended over their sometimes "dead" moniker.
Whether you believe it to be or not, the zombie infestation genre of video games is often labeled as a dead, beaten horse. But that doesn't stop developers from trying to eke out their own personal, distinctive niche in this monolith of a concept. Tequila Works, a developer out of Madrid, Spain; attempts just this venture with Deadlight, an indie-title on XBLA & Steam focusing on the protagonist Wayne as he pursues his missing friends and family following the classic zombie disaster in a 2.5 D Seattle.
Players move Wayne from left to right (generally) while solving both platforming and physics puzzles, as well as dealing with the aforementioned undead (referred to as "shadows" in this title, adding another term to a list which must by this point rival the list of euphemisms for sex). The platforming creates a rather enjoyable experience, as emphasis is put on avoiding shadows rather than direct confrontation. Jumping over groups and sprinting away, traversing power lines, and finding alternate routes create the core gameplay. The situations are small in scope, however, never lasting more than a few minutes; put those delusions of avoiding a massive horde over the course of a large, multi-pathed environment out of your head.
Don't expect the most convenient controls, either. Although the movement can be fluid when it picks up and Wayne conveys a realistic sense of momentum and heft, frustration will set in whenever you just want to jump vertically. If the game registers any left/right motion when Wayne jumps, he'll instead spring in those directions, rather than up; this is a terrible decision when up is the only escape from incoming hordes. Include the pinpoint accuracy required to register a successful grab when jumping vertically and I would find myself lining up vertical jumps with frustrating tedium. Additionally, there is a stark cutoff between the default running and sprinting, which affects any resulting jumps. More than once the game gives the player a distance just barely long enough to register sprinting; even when the solution was straightforward, I'd stumble around confused, since what seemed like jumping wasn't working. Avoiding obstacles is similarly confusing and poorly explained. Many a time I was killed after tripping over a pile of boxes or lone chair. Turns out the answer wasn't "not sprinting" into it, but trying to jump over it. Two things here. The darkened presentation makes it hard to distinguish what is in the foreground and background (and subsequently what you can interact with), and any trial-and-error gameplay only works in games with near instantaneous respawn (something Deadlight sort-of-but-doesn't-quite have).
When fisticuffs is unavoidable, Wayne is able to hold his own, pending he owns a fire-axe, revolver, or shotgun. But, stamina for swings expires quickly, and ammo is always in low supply. Strangely, the mechanics of the axe are never fully explained; horizontal swings only have a chance to defeat your opponents, it seems, whereas holding the attack button prompts a vertical swing that actually does something permanent.
Deadlight will be remembered more for its atmosphere than gameplay, however. The tone is definitively bleak, and will remind players of Limbo, but with more talking. Grey and black abound, and shadows really resemble their namesake apart from a set of glowing red eyes. The somber sound effects and minimalistic music help achieve the apocalyptic tone.
The story also strives to be something more, dealing with choice and human interaction following the breakdown of society. It's conveyed with comic-style panels, although the quality makes it seem like this was more of a budget-rather-than-stylistic choice. As Wayne searches for his family, flashbacks and hallucinations clearly foreshadow that not everything is what it seems, and the player will probably guess where the plot is going from a mile away. The ending message and moral can likewise be applauded for attempt, although it's nothing anyone hasn't heard before from better sources.
The delivery is passable, but don't expect stellar voice acting. Side characters aren't convincing, and while Wayne's various monologues are well performed, his voice never seems to fit what's going on. He sounds just fine, but the quality of his dialogue jars with everyone else's, making it seem like he was recorded alone in a studio miles away.
Don't expect to truly care about the characters, either. The media res introduction quickly brings in and shuttles off everyone besides Wayne. Nearly the entire time, I couldn't tell you who was even in the group I was searching for, let alone the fact I forgot Wayne's name while writing this article. The short length of the game inhibits any development or connection, so when/if a character dies, don't get worried if you feel nothing for your fallen compatriot.
The short length inhibits other aspects as well. The game can be breezed through in roughly 3-4 hours, which means that for all the introduced characters and mechanics, they are fleeting at best. Quite a few times the tutorial explains a gameplay option, you complete it once or twice, and it will never appear again. These mechanics are introduced and discarded as frequently as the characters.
All in all,, and if you'll permit the expression, just one big, gigantic circlejerk. then, the game is an enjoying diversion. It seems like an appetizer for something more, as if a full course version would create something satisfying. Until then, though, you'll have to enjoy this bite size game with its easily digestible gameplay, characters, and message, given you can deal with a few frustrations. Think of it as a palate cleanser between more substantial titles.
Overall: Worth it. Breeze through in a few hours for moderate enjoyment to see where it takes you, then probably never think of it again.
6.5/10