Tom Powter reviews Klaus…
Introspection is a rare thing to find in 2D side-scrolling platformers, a genre often characterised by the silent protagonist. Yet, Klaus, from indie developer LaCosa Entertainment, thrives on introspection, as its plot is fuelled by the often inquisitive thoughts of its playable character, who has just awoken in a mysterious, dingy basement, with the game’s title tattooed on his arm. At its core, Klaus is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer with a lot of wit and charm that seems to be just as much an experiment in breaking the fourth wall as it is in-game design.
From the outset, Klaus is immediately intriguing – an office worker wakes up in a basement with no idea how he got there, with his only clue being a strange tattoo on his arm. As the guiding hand, the player forms an almost intense bond with the game’s hero as he acknowledges your presence on multiple occasions, going so far as to say you’re his friend or that you saved his life. It’s an odd experience, being recognised in-game as being directly responsible for the fate of the character, but it’s incredibly effective as a story-telling mechanic and I found myself cringing more so than usual as I accidentally sent the hero to his doom, mere moments after he’d just shared an intimate thought with me. This wasn’t just another life lost – I’d failed him.
The game manages this by painting the hero’s thoughts on the walls as you progress forwards in an ever fluid motion. The constant dialogue helps alleviate any sense of real isolation however – you may be attempting a dangerous leap in a sinister basement, but the hero is always talking to you. And attempting jumps you will be, as Klaus is laden with tropes of the genre – pits of death, spikes, ruthless platforming – purely from a gameplay standpoint, Klaus doesn’t bring much new to the table. There are some interesting mechanics put into play, such as forcing the player to only be able to move left, requiring you to cleverly use the world around you to navigate backwards should you need to, but other than that, it’s a relatively standard platformer. The game does get you to use the Dualshock 4’s touchpad to control certain objects, but it often feels clunky and unnecessary and more often than not took me out of the experience.
Klaus is a very visually striking game, with block colours making for a powerfully minimalist-looking world. The heavy use of mechanical and sterile surroundings adds to the overall aesthetic and Klaus has a uniquely stylish look that helps it stand out from the plethora of other platformers out there. The music is good too and I often found it to be catchy, even if it did become somewhat repetitive after a while. Klaus nails its visual approach though and at the very least, it’s an eye-catching example of beautiful 2D graphics.
LaCosa Entertainment’s debut title is an interesting little thing – it aspires to be more than just another platformer in an ever-deepening sea of a genre, yet it doesn’t quite break free of that mould. Despite its striking style and unsettling premise, I found the game fairly easy as a seasoned platformer lover, while the touchpad controls felt tacked on and slowed the experience down. Having said that, Klaus does bring plenty of great things to the table – the fourth wall breaking levels of introspection into the hero’s mind make for great story-telling, and the world itself is immediately interesting and likeable. The platforming, while simple, is solid, with LaCosa providing some unique and challenging puzzles to overcome.
For the price of £15.99, it’s definitely worth taking a trip into the basement. Who knows, you might just make a new friend while you’re down there…
Pros:
+ Immediately intriguing use of introspective story-telling
+ Visually striking
+ Some clever puzzles
+ Solid…
Cons:
– …but not overly interesting platforming
– Touchpad controls are clunky
Total Score: 7.5/10
Tom Powter
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