In the 29 years or so that I have been gaming, there have been games that caught my interest, and most of them were either fighting games, JRPGs or SHUMPs. That is not to say that I don’t enjoy other genres; I play everything. But, I’m most hooked up with the aforementioned, until I got the chance to play Semblance.
Semblance is unlike anything I have played before. It is a puzzle platformer with some really cool mechanics. The most notable is the way you interact with the world around you to solve puzzles. I really like the squishiness of your blob-like character. When he moves, the apparently solid world behaves like if it was something really soft, like foam or playdough.
In the beginning, you can move around and jump, but as you progress through the puzzles, you gain other useful skills, including a speed dash that you can use to cross pit and a burst like skill that returns platforms to their original form. Here is where the game gets interesting because the dash skill is not there only for mobility purposes. It’s the skill that helps you reshape the world! In Semblance, you need to enter the heart of the trees afflicted by the corruption. Once you enter, there are some pink orbs that are scattered through the area that you must collect. The amount needed is represented by a circle on top left corner of the screen. When you collect all of them, you exit the green-like corruption, and it is dispelled. Therefore, you gain access to new areas.
Speaking of puzzles, remember the speed dash? Well, its function helps you shape the world and solve puzzles. Is there an orb too high and you can’t get to it? Hit the platform above you to make a hill, so you can use it to get to the orb. There are so many ways to approach each puzzle that it never gets boring. Besides platforms and hard to reach places, there are also some hazards to make your quest for purification harder. Some of these include: laser beams, bugs carrying crystals, and some beams that while they don’t damage you, if you modify a platform and that part gets in contact with that beam, it reverts the platform to the original form. There are even particles that null your abilities when you get in contact with them. All of them make for some really interesting puzzles that will have you flexing the gray matter to solve.
Graphically, Semblance is really great to look at. The landscapes are full of life, and the wild nature-like appearance of it is really cool. The different shades of colors give the game a lot of personality. I like how the denizens are part of the background, and you can find them in the actual levels as well. I find it cute when you pass where they are, and they make a startled jump like they weren’t aware you were there. It might not seem like much for some, but I welcome the little details that bring the game to life.
About the music: the tunes that compose Semblance are well thought-out. I like the jungle-like sounds and how chill the music is. It is a good combination because even if some puzzles will have you scratching your head to find the solution, the calm music helps ease the stress that you might have.
Bottom Line: Semblance is a good example of how to bring a puzzle platformer to the Nintendo Switch. It has well thought-out puzzles, a colorful world full of life, and solid platformer game play. It is one of those games in which the “one more level” approach works because once you start playing this charming game, you just can´t put it down. I definitely recommend it. I was impressed by Semblance, and if you give it a chance you will too. Honestly, Nyamakop is a developer that should be followed closely since like their logo suggests) they have the heart and brains to give unique experiences to gamers and that is something worthy of praise.