Effie: Forging New Nostalgia
Immersing the player in a magical world reminiscent of an older era, Effie, by developer Inverge Studios, brings back the 3D platformer genre, and compacts it into one satisfying experience.
The game opens with a story. An elder begins to recount a tale of adventure to a young girl named Effie. It’s at the beginning of this tale that the player is thrust into the action. Immediately, players are reminded of classics like “Ratchet and Clank” or “Jak and Daxter.” Effie utilizes this nostalgia to full effect. It is full of moving platforms, intriguing puzzles, and easy player mechanics. Embracing this simple, nostalgic nature, the game creates a wondrous story ready to be explored.
Part of what makes Effie so endearing is the atmosphere it creates. From the story around the fire, to the bantering narrator adventuring with you, the game is full of warmth. Effie tries to teach simple lessons. These lessons often seem innocent or obvious. But it’s those innocent truths that are often lost, and I found myself reminded of them. Effie puts the player in a position to save the world from a great evil, but even in the face of that evil, it reminds you to have fun on your adventure and make new memories.
Effie’s simple aesthetic is only emphasized by its gameplay. Contemporary games often worry about its in-game systems and agonize about trying to create gameplay out of nothing. Effie simplifies its mechanics to be player intuitive. There are three main stats that are tracked during the game: Health, Mana, and Experience. All these stats are supplemented by the same things. Whenever you beat an enemy, collect an item, or open a chest, all three are increased. It lets players spend less time thinking about builds or navigating menus, and spend more time on the adventure. Additionally, there are no complicated button combos necessary to grow. The player happens upon events and mechanics naturally as they progress. I was pleasantly surprised when I was confronted with puzzles. They present a fair challenge: not too easy but not too incredibly difficult. Players are left to find the answers for themselves. There are no quest markers or anything to direct you to the next step. It’s this bare bones approach that made me all the more satisfied when I beat a level.
But despite Effie’s welcoming nature, it isn’t a game for everybody or every day. Effie is best played when one wants to have a relaxing gaming experience but still face reasonably difficult challenges. Effie has surprising depth, but nothing to take a particularly positive note of. There is little to no player customization or meaningful player choices. Unfortunately, that means replayability is extremely low as well. If you’re a grizzled, gaming veteran looking for the next hardcore experience, Effie is not for you. Effie excels when the player is tired of complex systems and strategies being shoved in their face. When you want to rediscover a youthful love for adventure and magic, Effie is the perfect game. It’s for these reasons that I’ve rated Effie:
8.5/10
Check Out the Effie Trailer:
Effie is available for PlayStation 4 and is heading to Steam in Q3 2019. For more information, please visit here: https://effiegame.com/
PlayStation 4 Review
My name is Devon Huge. I'm passionate about writing, art, games, and lists that are one item too long.
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