On June 7, a new platform game with metroidvania elements was released. Norturnal from indie studio Sunnyside Games.
nocturnal It is available for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S and Playstation 5.
the light of hope
nocturnal introduces us to the story of Ardeshir, a soldier of the Enduring Flame, who returns home to an island but soon discovers that things have changed. Nahran is covered in a dark mist that has corrupted the place, killing many of his companions and altering others as well.
Ardeshir must use the power of the flame to defeat these new enemies and rid his home of this darkness.
nocturnal It has a story that unravels as if it were a souls. A couple of dialogues here and there present us with this eternal struggle between good and evil; Inspired by Persian mythology. The best thing is to get carried away by his world, which is his main protagonist.
The stage is your worst enemy
nocturnal it’s a short game. And don’t get me wrong it’s not a problem; on the contrary, because unless more varied scenarios have been added, the challenge is fair and concise.
The first and foremost thing is to clarify that the game has more platform elements than metroidvania action.
Ardeshir has a sword and can easily move around the stage. What blocks our way is darkness. How to stop it? We have to light our sword with torches and burn like a pyromaniac that we are the whole stage. The power of the sword of fire is limited, it lasts for a short time. If we remain in the total darkness of the fog, our life is consumed.
Keeping the torches burning is what we’re going to do the most. This is going to get complicated when enemies attack us or we try not to fall into the void. All this combination of movements make nocturnal in a game of trial and error. Luckily, the save points are close.
The time that our sword is burning is the time that we often have to pass from one torch to another; That is why we do not have much time to think and it is a matter of remembering where the enemies are, which tile is broken or which door we have to open.
Following the tension of the stage there are some areas that are completely dark and are only illuminated by the brief sparks of a torch.
Once again, memory will be a key factor in order not to get lost in this maze and remain in the dark.
Apart from the scenarios, the enemies are few, some are repeated in several areas. They attack from far or near and are weakened faster by fire. There are a couple of bosses but they don’t require great skill either. As I said in a previous paragraph, the challenge is when both the setting and the enemies complicate our passage.
Throughout the stage we will find coins that we can spend on an altar with our skill tree. He himself is a bit small; but he provides the basics to survive. Give us more life units, make the fire last longer on our sword or recover more life (we can consume all the fire on our sword to recover life points). There is also a special attack but only use it at the end of the game.
The last ability that is unlocked at times is a kind of eternal fire. We don’t shut down and do a lot more damage.
A care in the effects
nocturnal it is a two-dimensional game of lateral movement; although the fire and the stage have so much interaction that everything comes to life at each stage.
They are going to be burning vines or flags just by the simple fact of seeing how they are consumed. And as in turn; the light of the fire hits the darkness of the stage.
There are some open-air areas, although without so much color. It has been decided to blur everything to give us that feeling that we are surrounded by a fog.
The work of music and sound is consistent; especially the latter. There are so many scenes in silence, that the feeling of emptiness is transmitted very well with the blows we give to the enemies.
THE BEST
- Incredible effects in relation to light and darkness
- It is an accessible platform game can be easy or difficult.
- leaves you wanting more
WORST
- Enemies and stages feel repetitive.
- There isn’t a huge skill tree.