Out of Line is a 2D side-scroller puzzle platformer, by developer Nerd Monkeys and publisher Hatinh Interactive, that has the player waking up in a seemingly desolate world; rusting, abandoned machinery terrorize the player while the creeping vibrant wildlife acts as a sort of refuge. It’s a quiet space, no dialogue or text boxes to be seen, only an underscore of soft music. Without a concrete plot and dialogue, the narrative force is purely driven by mystery; questions of where am I, who am I, and “why is that giant terrifying mechanical claw trying to kill me?” drives the player to move forward. Within the first hour of gameplay, it’s hard to piece together any narrative substance from the limited environmental clues given to the player. Mystery and vagueness are only a hair’s width apart and Out of Line does not quite nail the landing. This lack of narrative force could’ve easily driven the game to lack substance, but it was saved by satisfying game mechanics and beautiful art.
The first thing you will likely notice about the game is it’s wonderful visuals. The vibrant, hand painted scenery creates a dreamy, but isolating atmosphere, beckoning the player to see more of this fantastical world. Details in the foreground and background raise some interesting questions while adorable character designs bring a sense of companionship and hope in an otherwise lonely existence. Above all, the animation and sound design compliments gameplay wonderfully- controlling the player character was wholly satisfying.
The player’s main tool is a spear, this can be thrown to jam doors or use as a makeshift platform in order to solve the environmental puzzles the game pushes you into. The spear can also be called back to the player at any time. As you can imagine, throwing a long pointy object is really fun, especially when it comes with clean animation, weighty physics, and good sound design. This, in combination with the continuous introduction of new mechanics means the gameplay manages to keep its stages fresh and the player engaged. Frustration only crept up at the last stage of the game demo. I’m unsure if it was a bug, a player error, or was just conscious mechanical inconsistency, but once the game has introduced the ability to use multiple spears at once, it becomes confusing when and how you can call back specific spears since the throw and recall button are the same. On the last stage, I couldn’t recall my spear while holding another spear when that wasn’t the case in the previous stage. Besides this blemish, the variety of puzzles and mechanics kept the gameplay refreshing. The game commonly uses different characters that you befriend to introduce new mechanics. I sincerely hope that the game continues with this wildly wholesome and adorable theme to keep puzzles fresh.
Although there is currently a lack of narrative drive within the game, this charming addition to the 2D side-scroller puzzle genre was a delight to play due to its quality visuals and gameplay. I can’t wait to play the full game and dive deeper into the mysteries of this world.
Check Out the Out of Line Steam Reveal Trailer:
Out of Line launches for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam this summer and on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this year. You can wishlist the game on Steam right now.
Shop Amazon: https://amzn.to/3aVo5U7
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
I remember when I was a little kid, I watched my dad talk to a cowboy robot in a post-apocalyptic open world game. He kicked me out of his office, stating that the game is inappropriate for children, but I think that’s where my love of western RPGs started. Since then, I’ve grown up playing competitive games, interacting with the community, and exploring immersive worlds. I’m definitely an old soul as my favorite games include all of the old Fallout games, RPGs with classical elements such as Divinity: Original Sin 2, and the all-time great Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
More Stories
REIGNS BEYOND Review for Steam
FINAL FACTORY Review for Steam Early Access
Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUEL Review for Steam