From developer Rain Games comes World to the West, the standalone action adventure follow up to the popular game Teslagard that that sees you take control of one of four different characters as you use each of their unique abilities to solve environmental puzzles and lead each of them through a grand interweaving adventure.
STORY
World to the West is a story told through four different vantage points: Lumina, a young Teslamancer, finds herself thrown through time itself and is looking for her way back home; Teri, an ambitious adventurer with the ability to control the minds of other creatures, has found herself thrown out of a treasure-hunting contract; Knaus, the orphan who is surprisingly optimistic, has discovered a world above the only world he has ever know; and Clonington, the cloned strongman with an immense sense of pride, has set off on a journey to impress the party welcoming him to a new land. Each of these four heroes must work to uncover the mysteries of an ancient prophecy that has linked their stories together, for better or for worse!
GAMEPLAY
Since each of the four characters possess different abilities, the gameplay mechanics vary depending on which character you have active. So much of World to the West is about solving environmental puzzles, and each character has specific abilities that allow you to solve these puzzles in different ways. Lumina possesses some combat potential but also has the ability to teleport short distances. This is useful for when you need to travel across spaces that aren’t accessible for everyone. Teri has the ability to stun and control different creatures. This is helpful when needing to access areas of the game that are impossible to get to normally. Knaus is a small character, giving him the ability to travel through small tunnels that only creatures have access to. He also has the ability to stun enemies with his shovel and dig holes in the ground that he can dive into and travel underground to hide from enemies. Rounding out the team is Conington who is all brawn and has the ability to punch and charge through obstacles and creatures that stand in his way. He serves as the primary combat king and is very effective in his roe. Throughout the game you discover an increasing number of totem pole monuments that function both as save spaces and also as places for you to switch between the four different characters in order to further your progression through the game. One downside to the cooperative puzzle solving is that when you switch between the characters you’ll often be met with lengthy load times, but in the end the sense of accomplishment and adventure is worth it.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
Taking heavy inspiration from European adventure comics, World to the West utilizes a colorful and cartoony art style that works incredibly well on the Nintendo Switch. The environments are seamlessly put together and create a very unique aesthetic that I think is quite conducive to an adventure game. I only ever had frame rate issues on rare occasions when playing as Knaus, and all of the other players ran very smoothly for me. Additionally, the soundtrack pairs very nicely with the game, and it was enjoyable hearing some of the individual themes and sound effects associated with each of the specific controllable characters.
CONCLUSION
World to the West offers a unique blend of adventuring and puzzle solving while also incorporating a fun story and unique characters. The cartoony graphic style might not be for everyone, but was something I really enjoyed while playing. There are some load time issues and points where the story takes a while to develop onward, but overall I had a great time playing through this game and the $20 price point gives you a good amount of content and in my eyes is a definite Nintendeal.
Platform – Nintendo Switch eShop Download
Publisher – Rain Games
Developer – Rain Games
Price – $19.99
Genre – Action, Adventure
Size – 2.2GB
A native of Minnesota, Brandon has been an avid Nintendo fan for as long as he can remember and enjoys being able to escape into the vast worlds offered in their games. Some of his favorite games include: Pokemon Blue & Silver, Earthbound, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Risk of Rain 2, and of course LoZ: Breath of the Wild.
Outside of gaming Brandon enjoys riding motorcycle, listening to music or podcasts, cooking, watching movies, and is a big sports fan. He is always carrying his Switch with him wherever he goes, so feel free to add him if you’d like to lose at MK8D.