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Olijais a unique blend of Graeco-Roman adventure games and Metroidvania from Skeleton Crew Studio and issue by Devolver Digital . Olijatells the story of Faraday , a lord who wakes up on the mysterious shore of Terraphage after his ship is lost in a storm . Faraday is task with obtain his shipmates in an eerie world inspired by Asian mythology and crewman ’s stories , with a memorable standard atmosphere and less memorable - but still solid - gameplay .
Metroidvania is an increasingly democratic writing style , particularly for indie games , but few have such an emphasis on smell and tale likeOlija . The game ’s visual style creates a sense of uneasiness and machination through interesting contrast . Pixel artistry is no stranger to the indie game scene , but manyOlijacharacters and backdrop are rough and jagged , peculiarly in cutscenes , which are reminiscent of old - school adventure games like theMonkey Islandseries . Despite the dated elan , the surround is packed with small details . Dust will scatter when Faraday hops on a ladder , and the chunky , pixelated water still sways swimmingly with the tide . The ancient aesthetic combines with a few modern onward motion , like gradient lighting and a lovely Flamenco - esque soundtrack instead of 8 - bit tracks , to make a blend of old and raw that appeal a lot of curiosity and intrigue . It ’s far from the prettiest Metroidvania - one challenger for that titlerecently released on Switch- but alone visuals nevertheless helpOlijastand out from the crew .
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The gameplay fight to be as memorable , but is still serviceable , and even satisfying in its best spots . Players cut across through different stages of Terraphage with the classic combination of combat and platforming familiar to anyone who ’s recreate the genre before . Faraday use his weapon , aptly named the Harpoon of Legend , to lash out the strange beasts and blobs of the island . The harpoon can be thrown and recall , or Faraday can teleport to its location , similar to thespear inHades . It ’s a fun mechanic that sum up some platforming puzzle to the mix and avail diversify the style the biz work out .
Olijaencourages exploration through a dewy-eyed crafting and town growing organization . early on on , players will encounter Oaktide , a decrepit camp of lust shipwreck sailors . Smashing box and defeating monsters throughout Terraphage will overleap currency that can be invested in Oaktide on shops and buildings , developing the shantytown into a actor hub . Crafting stuff can also be find oneself , such as bones from smashing skeleton , that can be spend on charming hats that bring knock-down perks .
Olijaenters a crowded musical genre and its gameplay does piffling to revolutionise the scene , but it still handle to digest out with a unique optical style that greatly bring to its challenging , atmospheric tone . Anyone interested in the story should go in unsighted , as a sense of mystery summate to the experience . TheDevolver cataloghas often curated the best in corner indie game , andOlijais another near addition for those seem for a unique , moody , marine experience .
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Olijareleases on January 28th , 2021 , for PC , PS4 and Nintendo Switch . Screen Rant was given a Steam codification for the purposes of this review .
