Nocturnal is a side scroller action-adventure game, by developer Sunnyside Games and publisher Dear Villagers, set to release later this year. You play as Ardeshir, a soldier of the Enduring Flame who after years of traveling returns home to find the island covered in a strange dark fog. Wielding a blade and fire you will traverse the island fighting enemies and completing puzzles along the way, all in an effort to discover the truth of what happened to your people and the place you call home. Will you be able to uncover the secrets that only you can find?
When you start the game you appear on a beach. The atmosphere is already dark and grim as rain pours down on you, a taste of what you will find ahead. Traveling into the island you find a building, inside are people dead with blood splattered across the floor. Many bodies lay along the path you take through ruined buildings and rainy landscapes, along with that you find a dark mist of unknown origin that seems to want to devour you. Not many people seem to be left alive or uncorrupted by this mist. You uncover most of the story along the way, there is not a lot of information given in the beginning and you learn the story through the environment and the few people that are left to talk to. On top of that there does not seem to be a real tutorial level in this game you just kind of get thrown in and figure out things as you go. The game tells you the controls when you get to areas they can be used, and you unlock certain abilities as you go. You use space to jump, A and D to move left and right, and S to crouch. Left click is a normal attack, middle mouse button is to use your special ability, and CTRL is the secondary attack. Along the way you will find these Phoenix statues where you can upgrade your skills by using these diamond shaped points you gain from breaking pots and killing enemies. You wield a standard sword but there are torches around the map where you can ignite the sword with fire, but the fire eventually runs out and you will need to hit the fire source again to reignite it. The fire will keep you safe from the mist as well as allow you to fight enemies that are infected by the darkness. The atmosphere of the game is amazing, I love the overall darkness of the game and how it contrasts with the bright flames you wield along the way.
The game and its aesthetic are amazing overall as well as the fun gameplay but there are a few things that tripped me up. First off, the game is more centered around its platform-based puzzles that you go through as you progress, when jumping and moving around the controls can be a bit touchy. It can be very difficult to make the jumps especially in the areas with timed puzzles. Another thing that goes along with the touchy controls is that the combat becomes a lot harder. It is easy to get overwhelmed or lost during the combat especially in the areas where you are fighting in the dark mist. Both of those issues could honestly be by design to make the overall gameplay harder, but I am unsure as the difficulty is normal by default with no way to change it. That being said this is a demo and things could become more refined and less touchy in the full release.
Nocturnal is a 2D platform based puzzle game with its fair share of action and fighting as well. There is a lot to explore and many secrets to discover as you make it through the game. The atmosphere and aesthetic of the game are very well made and it adds to the experience as a whole. While the game has an interesting story there is a lot of emphasis on the puzzles and combat style of the game. The controls are a bit touchy, which can make the platforming frustrating at times. I had a lot of fun playing and I can’t wait to see what this game has to offer in its full release later this year.
You can wishlist Nocturnal on Steam as well as play the demo right now. You can also follow Dear Villagers on Twitter and Instagram.
Related: Reviews by Brianna Keller
I enjoy a wide variety of games from intricate survival/adventure games to simple platformers. I am also a sucker for a good story game.
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