The video game is probably the entertainment medium that has evolved the fastest in recent times, coming to the present day in the presence of 4K, ray tracing and so on. Keeping up with technology is certainly fascinating, yet the human mind sometimes prefers to go back, to experience those moments that seem more “simple and pure”. In part this is what we found in our review of PomPom: the Great Space Rescuethe first work of TOMO Camp which is now available for PC through Steam. A return to the past that, however, wants to offer its own depth, in a 2D platform where the player does not control the protagonist but the platforms.
A little hamster on an adventure
The story of the game is simply a pretext to start the events that the little protagonist has to face. This is a hamster like many others who lives happily with a Hoshi baby when, one day, the latter finds six particular gems in his garden. A situation that takes the attentions of a mysterious pirate cat and the gang of him, who decide not only to steal the mysterious stones colored but even of kidnap the poor and innocent boy. In such a dangerous moment, the little hamster PomPom takes courage and decides to go on an adventure to save the day. Thus begins a voyage composed of a series of worlds to explore, enemies to defeat and many platforms to build.
There storytelling follows one simple and linear structure without including characters with strong characterization or some kind of drama of the dialogues. The movies themselves are simple and straightforward, in an inspiration of the same atmosphere breathed in multiple “platform mascots” from the era of 16-bit consoles. Generally the whole product wants to be a reference to early 90s of gaming, both in the artistic style and in that of the gameplay. In the first game screens, in fact, you are asked to choose whether to use more modern graphics or in a pixel art style.
A choice that does not change anything in terms of gameplay, however determines the whole atmosphere breathed by the player from the beginning to the end credits. It must be said that both choices are not bad at all, with textures that result in both cases in a screen full of colors and a certain stylistic definition. The same cannot be said of the soundtrack which, however much it tries to take users on nostalgia, is monotonous due to a continuous repetition of the rhythm. A real shame, given that still today music is produced in that style that are really well made and composed.
Control of the environment
In this review we have seen how PomPom’s main dish is its gameplay, which however is not that of the classic two-dimensional platformer. Taking up the concept of classics from the caliber of Mario & Wariothe player witnesses the automatic advance of the protagonist while he has to do appear the ground through the elements provided by the developers. The result is one cooperation of the hamster and the user, where the former must collect the items that the latter can use to create a safe passage to the little hero. The task is not at all easy considering that PomPom moves automaticallythus leaving little time for the player to think about how to safely reach the end of the level.
Fortunately there are several toolsas the slowdown of time or the extra lives, which allow you to breathe in the game. In short, a gameplay structure that is not exactly original but offers some good puzzle game dynamics. Obviously, collectibles and secret areas cannot be missing, in order to offer that further splash of challenge to reach the famous 100%. Everything comes together in a structure that is well thought out for the duration of the adventure, even helped by the continuous introduction of new mechanics in almost every level. Certainly not an easy way to keep the player’s interest high, even reducing the possible feeling of repetition. Finally, we congratulate you for the simplicity and intuitiveness of the game controls, with the genuine and understandable approach with mouse and keyboard. Attention, this does not mean that the game is simple.
The freedom offered in the gameplay scalability PomPom surprised us in this review. In fact, from the options menu it is possible change different mechanics of the game, such as the amount of checkpoints available, the number of lives that can be used within each stage or the presence or absence of certain aids in the levels. Small variations that determine, however, the player’s approach in facing the entire adventure, thus increasing the degree of replayability, as well as the temptation to test their skills. At the same time it allows an adequate challenge for everyone, trying not to exclude the user who is looking for a more relaxed product, or the one who wants to test their skills. Finally, on the optimization side we have no complaints, even if during the tests for our review of PomPom we ran into a bug that completely canceled our saves. The important thing is that the developer corrects this error on PCin time for the product’s future arrival on consoles.
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