Glyph is a rather different take on 3D platformers and tries to do something new in the genre. The game sees players take control of a Beetle who must travel through multiple stages to recover objects from an ancient civilization. Where Glyph stans out is that every level involves the beetle moving around in a ball and moving around based on physics and inertia.
Before anyone thinks this is a simple-to-understand physics platformer, there is quite a bit more to the game. Players will need to carefully navigate certain areas and avoid dangerous surfaces, yes, but the true obstacle here is managing inertia to not combust due to the rough and coarse sand. Players will need to jump and bounce around in order to avoid a fiery fate, and this opens new possibilities.
Jumping is a limited ability but can be recharged by touching platforms and there are a number of ways to use this ability. If a jump is timed right for instance, the player can move nonstop on certain areas, and when used in connection with gliding, the physics limitations become strengths. This is a game that wants players to experiment with physics and learn what to do through gameplay.
Gliding and flying are some of the best parts of the game, and while dying in the process is common, it helps give Glyph its own identity. The game wants you to be patient, but at the same time, players will have a desire to just keep going. Sadly, this is where another issue comes in and that is the fact that the game does not have the best camera, and the clunky camera physics will throw players off numerous times.
There is a narrative in Glyph but it is not all that deep and just given in small snippets here and there. Another beetle named Anobi gives some advice here and there while filing in the lore and explaining the events of the backstory. Anobi will lead the player to the hub world and set up the outline for what will be done here and tells what the goal is.
Glyph is a decent but somewhat flawed physics platformer that manages to try new ideas and has surprisingly tight controls. While the camera issues are a problem, they can mostly be dealt with and fortunately, the controls themselves bring no issues. It is clear that the developers wanted to explore what could be done with 3d platformers and physics platformers and the ideas are good ones.
There is a challenge here and the game gives players a desire to keep going, which is what any good game should do. While not perfect, it is a lot better than many others that experiment in the genre. It is worth trying out for sure.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
Reviewed on Steam
Images were taken from Steam Store