We’re back with another single-player review and this time it is Worldless. I’m a huge fan of Dead Cell, Ori and the Blind Forest, and Hollow Knight so when I saw Worldless’s trailer and gameplay I knew that this was going to be a game that I would enjoy. I managed to get a copy on the PlayStation 5 and was eager to load it up and see if it compares to the other Metroidvania I have played over the years.
Worldless is set in a newborn universe based on entities trapped in an eternal conflict by the polarising nature of their attraction. It is a 2D active, turn-based, platformer where you get to explore intricate and interconnected areas full of secrets and mysteries. While you are out exploring you will encounter different beings who will try and stop you. Using the game’s tun-based fighting mechanics you will have to put your skills to the test as you try and seek your place in this universe.
The platforming element of the game is one that we have seen done before but this isn’t a problem. I love the 2D style even though at times it would be hard to figure out what I could stand on and what I couldn’t. Travers each level using the various mechanics available like dashing and jumping. While out exploring you will come across various puzzles that prevent you from progressing. These are fun to work out and when you complete them feel a small sense of achievement.
They can get a bit repetitive after a while, but they add another element to the exploration side of Worldless. There is a story, but it feels too abstract and full of mystery. I did a times forgetting what the game was trying to have me solve as I was just enjoying the exploration and combat side of it, but when a story segment came up it was like “Oh yeah” something is going on.
Combat in Worldless is turn-based which is something that isn’t normally present in a Metroidvania and combat isn’t random. Encounters are laid out on the map, and you can tell roughly at what points you will end up fighting enemies. These enemies can range from small little creatures to huge multilimbed monsters. You’ll primarily find the huge monsters at parts in the story where you must take everything you have learned up until that point to use against them.
They’ll introduce certain mechanics that can make them a challenge to overcome. These are the enemies that caused me the most grief and at times made it hard for me to progress with the story. The tutorial for the combat didn’t go into too much depth ever just kind of told you what to do and “good luck”. I also would have liked a bit more combat to be able to master it a bit earlier on so that I was ready for the later game.
When in combat you and the enemy will have a turn timer, shield, and heath bar. In the early stages of the game, you will see yourself killing the enemies with various combos and magic. However, it becomes a requirement later to work toward filling up your Absorb Meter. This allows you to consume your enemies and gain points that can be used to upgrade your character and unlock new abilities. Because combat is turn-based there is a back-and-forth between you and the enemies, and this is where you must be able to pull off counters and blocks to survive and get the upper hand on the enemy.
To fill up your Absorb Meter you have to make sure you are mixing up your combos and attacks. If you keep using the same ones it takes forever to fill up. You can make it go quicker by using the different combos and abilities which makes combat feel a bit more enjoyable rather than doing the same thing repeatedly. Once you have filled your Absorb Meter you can attempt to absorb the enemy by playing a little mini-game where you have to press a sequence of buttons.
If you successfully manage to pull off the OTE you are then able to send your points in the ability trees to unlock new skills. The ability trees though could be a bit better as it lacks depths compared to other games. You will mainly be spending your points on damage mitigation and different versions of attacks.
Worldless’s selling point for me was its visuals and audio. Oh my god, it was stunning to look at, from start to finish the overall level design and enemies you fight were awesome. I was instantly taken away by the beauty of this game, and it is topped off by a brilliant soundtrack that adds to the experience. I found myself wanting to use my headset while playing to get the best audio quality possible as it helps immerse you even further. The enemies each had a uniqueness to them, and I always loved going into combat encounters as the combat visuals were just as good as the environments.
With Worldless once you have completed the story, the only replay value would be to play through the story again or get that Platinum trophy. The game is good and visually it is probably one of the best I have seen this year, though I’m not sure whether I would pick it up again anytime soon to replay it. It’s a solid Metroidvania but I would see myself going back to Ori & The Blind Forest or Hollow Knight first as I found these to be more fruitful.
Conclusion
Worldless took a different route when it came to the combat mechanics that helped make it differ from other Metroidvania, but I enjoy the Hack n Slash form of combat that is in Hollow Knight and Dead Cell. Don’t get me wrong the turn-base fighting was fun, it just took a while to get my head around as the tutorial wasn’t the best. There was a frustrating difficulty spike when you hit certain enemies that would leave me stuck for ages and unable to progress.
However, the visuals and audio are fantastic, and the exploration and puzzle elements help make Worldless a fantastic little game that I truly enjoyed playing and for those reasons, I’m giving it a score of 8 out of 10.
Worldless Launch Trailer
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