DISTORTIONS Review for PC

You awake in a strange world that seems to be made up of your distorted memories. You must relearn how to play violin to awaken the monster and remember your past. Exploring the beautiful mountains and rivers, you must decide which parts of your past you must let go and move on from. Your past is the key to your future but how far must you go to remember?

Among Giants released their indie adventure game, Distortions, on March 2nd 2018.Switching from first person to third and side scroller to open world, Distortions is an odd jumble of game play styles. Some have referred to it as a combination of Hellblade and Resident Evil game play styles. The camera is very slow and does not follow well at all. There is a lot of lag when it comes to the animations. The style is so ambitious and the backgrounds are beautiful, especially for an indie game, but the animations are lacking the smoothness that would really make this game next level. Switching back and forth between perspectives, the laggy animations, and the off camera follow really makes me feel sick. I could only play this game for a short period at a time. It is almost like watching a shaky cam movie so if your sensitive to motion then this may not be the game for you. The controller support is still experimental so mouse and keyboard might be a better option. While the plot of having to uncover memories is not unique, the first two games that come to mind are Alice: Madness Returns and Unravel, this game does do something very interesting. You have to play a violin, in a Guitar Hero-esque way, to tame monsters rather than initiate in combat.

There is a stark contrast in the two environments. You have the vast open world of Distortions that is filled mountains and rivers; beautiful and colorful natural environments. Then there is the white modern flat that the astral figure who is talking to you resides. The backgrounds and settings are really well done but again, the laggy animations take away from the experience. The monsters and creatures are very interesting in their designs. They are strangely familiar in a way that I can’t put my finger on. The music and sound in this game is really awesome and well done. For a music and instrument based game this is a key element and Among Giants really nailed it. The music in this game is probably my favorite part really.

The environments are outstanding and the music is really lovely. The plot is a familiar with a different and unusual twist. The character designs are odd and really interesting as well. Though the really laggy game play and controls do bring the experience down. I hope with updates Among Giants will be able to correct some of these flaws and be able to bring their game to the next level. Taking all of these things into consideration I rate this game a 6/10.

Check Out the Distortions Steam Launch Trailer:

Distortions is now available on Steam (Windows only).

Harleigh McGowan

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I'm a postgraduate Information and Library Studies student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. I'm originally from Texas and have a BFA in Creative Writing from SFASU. I grew up playing video games and now enjoy watching other people play as well. I love anything with a good story!

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