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Sunblaze switch5/16/2023 ![]() ![]() There is some minimal cartoon violence against robots. The game does register a few minor moral issues. The sound is also quite well done, with all the various explosions and smashing and jumps adding their bass to the soundtrack. There’s a lively bounce to everything that moves, and it jives well with the dad-humour that keeps popping up. Standing by a ledge will see Josie balancing on her toes precariously. There’s clearly a lot of attention to detail in the pixel graphics. ![]() The elite 1% that makes up speedrunners may not care for these functions for normal play, but it’s certainly fun to mess around with it once you’re done. The accessibility features amount to in-game cheats such as infinite dashing, infinite jumping, and invulnerability. If you’re able to collect the datacubes in Normal mode, you unlock Hard mode, and the levels here are only for the most masochistic players. All story cutscenes are included in here, but it just feels like a letdown compared to Normal mode. Zen Mode is a shorter collection of much easier levels that can be finished in about 30 minutes. Sunblaze also comes with a Zen Mode and accessibility features for players who can never get the timing right. It’s that light puzzle element that inspired in me a few “flash of genius” moments akin to when the comic hero figures out the villain’s weakness. Only three levels out of some 200 left me scratching my head for more than a few minutes. Every level fits into a single screen, making them reasonably easy to parse. Heavy use of crumbling platforms closed off the area behind me and forced further action, and usually the most obvious way forward was the correct one. Trying the most obvious path forward without bothering to scan the level was rarely a problem for me. Whereas a game like Super Meat Boy has only one obvious path, Sunblaze’s moving parts obscure that one path, but this isn’t a big deal. Most levels are also hard to puzzle out fully at a glance, but there’s usually only one or two obvious paths forward to brute force. I never felt overwhelmed by the rate at which the difficulty was increased in each section, even as movement sequences became longer and more intricate. Moral Warnings: Cartoon violence blood sprays on death minor swear words skin-tight superhero costumeĮach chapter begins with a snippet of story before introducing its main mechanic. Weak Points: Levels can be difficult to parse at a glance dad jokes Strong Points: Excellent gateway into precision platforming It’s a slight pity that each of these chapter mechanics is contained within its own chapter and that they don’t get used together, but during their time in the sun they do shine quite brightly. The exceedingly long final chapter introduces dash blocks which respond to being rammed with dashes, and play a similar role as the Thwomps of the second chapter, but with far more flexibility. The fifth chapter sees you flying through aquatic environments as a fireball. The fourth chapter is set in an old mine, where volatile TNT crates and radioactive barrels explode shortly after being disturbed. The third chapter’s laboratory introduces lasers and asks you to use unstable falling blocks to block them. The second chapter’s most significant contribution is the "Thwomp," a platforming staple which comes barreling towards you when you cross its line of sight. Fail the superhero training, and you’ll find yourself scratching off another one of several thousand deaths over the six-odd hours it takes you to finish the game.Įach of the game’s six chapters is themed around a new environment, and comes with its own set of new hazards and mechanics. Reaching the floating microchip advances to the next level, but the sequences to reach it will become increasingly involved. Unstable blocks will fall after you land on them, pushing you towards the next safe spot to land. Drones are quickly introduced, and they must be jumped on or dashed through to destroy them, which also resets our double jump and dash. Everything is smooth and it just flows like a hot knife through butter. Ledge grabs and overhanging rails are also included. Your basic controls are simply to run, double-jump, or dash your way through literally hundreds of levels. Sunblaze doesn’t complicate the controls too much. This is the basic setup for precision platformer Sunblaze as you guide heroine-in-training Josie through an ever-escalating series of training exercises to escape the matrix and rescue her dad. One thing SciFi stories have taught us is that all forms of virtual reality will go haywire somehow, and the safeties will be disabled. Thanks to Bonus Stage Publishing for sending us a review copy! ![]()
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