Out Of Line is an interesting game being worked on by Nerd Monkeys, and is releasing later this year. The game stars San, a young boy trapped in a factory, who must solve puzzles and collect cubes to find out why he is there. The game has a certain ominous feel to it, and with the hand-painted art style, this is definitely one that manages to stand out. The game is very much a visual story, and its art style helps to tell its narrative without the need for any words.
Out of Line uses spears as its key mechanic and you will use them for everything, such as solving puzzles by jamming gears, smashing things, or even managing to use the spears to get around the environment better. The game allows you to use the spears as platforms if you place them in walls, and they can be used for navigating around holes. It is a nice change of style for platformers and Out of Line definitely has a lot going for it in terms of puzzles and platforming challenges. I was given a chance to play a short demo of the game, and was very impressed with what I saw. It is definitely trying something new in terms of cinematic platformers for sure.
Part of what makes the game work is that art style, but also the blending of platforming combined with that spear mechanic. The more I played, the more I understood the game and it became apparent that there was a lot more I could do if I used the spear right. The art style makes the puzzles stand out more, as well as the solutions, making everything feel a lot more intuitive and understandable. I think that without the hand-painted art style, the game would not work as strongly due to the nature of the puzzles.
I am curious to see what the full game will be like with regards to the spear mechanics and puzzles, but as of now, Out of Line definitely is a game for everyone to watch. The narrative is told brilliantly without any dialogue and the platforming mechanics are handled beautifully. I do feel that some color saturation is a bit high in some parts of the game, but that is my only real complaint. It matters because, as I said, the hand-painted art style does factor into the game’s puzzles and figuring out the solutions to them.
Out of Line will release first on PC and Switch, and then see a release on other platforms. I will definitely be checking out the full release, and I cannot wait to see what else the game has to offer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zImj-u5_nA
Disclaimer: A preview key was provided