Wheye is a little robot eyeball and all of his friends are missing. They came to this planet to study local species but now it is about to explode. Wheye needs to solve puzzles and complete levels so he and his friends can get out alive.
Where Are My Friends? is a single player multi-genre indie adventure game by Beard Games Studio. It was released in October of 2017 and is available on Steam and Xbox. This game includes four genres: runner, Metroidvania, point’n’click, and puzzle-platformer. This sounds amazing in concept but it is extremely hard to pull off. Each genre has different mechanics and elements that have to be done right to make a successful game. Including all four and doing all four justice is a big task.
When you first get into this game, there is this part where you have to use a series of lifts and do tasks before getting into the actual game. Once you have passed that, you can then chose the levels. Each level is a genre mentioned above.
Runner
In this level, you have to avoid obstacles as you move at a constant speed. The side-scroller section is basic and nothing too crazy. There are some water sections that are like Flappy Bird or the water sections in Mario games. It then moves on to top-down scroller like some older racing games. It kind of reminds me of Frogger because there are streams and you have to jump on these floating platforms. Though, unlike Frogger, you are still moving at a constant speed so you have to time your jumps. If this section was done right you would be able to consistently make jumps if you timed them right but there is a bug or flaw in the physics of the game. When you try to jump onto the platforms you miss or just randomly die. It doesn’t matter if the first time you made it when you jumped at the same exact moment, you could die anyway. However, the graphics in this level are really cute and interesting. It is hand drawn and gives in a feel of being in a kids storybook.
Metroidvania
If you have read some of my other reviews, you will know this is my favorite genre. I was sadly disappointed by this level. It was set in these really dark caves and the only real light source was Wheye and there were spikes everywhere. You had to activate these generator things that also worked as checkpoints, which you needed because you die constantly. The hit detection has a huge circumference. You die if you get anywhere near a spike or a projectile, which makes this section very frustrating. The jump mechanics are again buggy and not great. The graphics in this section are pretty boring. It’s all earth tones and super dark. There aren’t any enemies or weapons, which I feel is expected when it comes to a Metroidvania platformer. Metroidvania games also often have expansive worlds that can’t be limited to one level in a game. So honestly it is just another simple puzzle-platformer.
Point’n’click
I feel like this level is the best representative of its genre. It has the familiar graphic style as the beginning section but you move with a mouse or cursor like most point’n’clicks. It’s the only level that seems to be meant for the game’s plot and style. Which makes all the other levels seem out of place. You have to find items and solve puzzles to move forward. It is the shortest and easiest level in the game but it is decently executed. Pretty straightforward and entertaining.
Puzzle-platformer
This one is much more futuristic than the rest of the game. The beginning and the point’n’click is futuristic but in a simple childish way. This level is filled with portals and lasers. It is the most difficult by far. It calls itself a puzzle-platformer but really relies on momentum and timing more than anything. This would be interesting and fun if it wasn’t extremely frustrating. The mechanics and physics aren’t consistent again in this level. You just have to keep trying and hope for the best. It doesn’t really matter your skill or how good you are at puzzles.
The music is nostalgic and kind of similar to classic 16-bit games. The effects though are quite basic.
Overall, it is a cute game. I really enjoyed the little black and white cartoons that would explain the backstory and the hand-drawn graphics. The mechanics aren’t perfect by far and the platformers are a bit extreme and frustrating. However, the story is cute and so are the characters. It isn’t expensive and if you like challenging platformers then this might be a lot of fun for you. I think if they fixed some of the mechanics and made it more puzzle based rather than luck, this could be a really great game.
Where Are My Friends? is available for PC via Steam.
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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