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It often seems as though violence is embedded into video games at a morphological level . With even theever - happyMarioresponsiblefor the deaths of thousands of turtles and mushroom people over the years , some gamers more averse to fight may question what Leslie Townes Hope there is for picture game adventurers with a conscience . ThankfullyRainbow Billy : The Curse of the Leviathan , from developer ManaVoid Entertainment , is here to add some positivity into the gaming space .
Rainbow Billy : The Curse of the Leviathanis a 2.5D adventure game that meld together platforming , mystifier , and turn - establish RPG automobile mechanic . The titulary Billy is on a quest to bring people of colour back to a gray world , hopping from island to island on a real Friend Ship to share ripe vibes and make allies with the creatures around him . Along the room , victories are found not through combat , but alternatively through conversation .
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This electropositive mindset really makes Rainbow Billy brisk to play , with a real focus on inclusivity across the board . It ’s a game that is suitable for everyone , and thankfully in a deed that ’s centering is on colour there are goodaccessibility optionsincluding colorblind alternative to choose from . However , this mob - friendly glide slope belies a astonishingly wide-ranging and complex biz organization .
The closest comparing is likely thePaper Marioseries , in terminal figure of combining a variety of gameplay modes into a cutesy , cohesive final stage product . Billy travels around around the game world with a decent amount of platforming agility , while using the Friend Ship to hop-skip between island to uncover young secrets . The literal core of the game , though , comes from its turn - based face-off with greyscale enemies as Billy and friends attempt to color them back in .
In a move redolent ofUndertale , it ’s not about unlimited scrap but rather reaching your foes through pity and understanding , using a color- and shape - matching mechanic to sum up them to your team a laPokemon . At the start of each round the participant can opt to Talk and Listen to the enemy case , and through their choice they can help uncover more color options to win the fight . Then , the player will take part in a selection of mini game ranging from canonical button - mashing totiny games ofBreakout .
This could get sometime quickly , but thankfullyRainbow Billykeeps things unused by make each struggle feel dissimilar . Rather than the canonic option of the early tutorial , this shifts to each unit having a unique challenge , such as having to tucker out confrontation with a time point of accumulation on each crook , or without using flush - up friend . Not only does this keep the gameplay challenging , but it also helps to add personality to each ofRainbow Billy ’s characters . Overall this intend thatRainbow Billyis rather cunning in a identification number of ways . Its approach to friendship may be deliberately corny , but there ’s something infectious about just how far it leans into its message of compassion . Meanwhile , its gameplay elements make the instrumentalist think about their decisions in a agency that back very rarely do , by choice get easy on sure enemies while focusing on work up confidence .
Rainbow Billyisn’t perfect , however . Its visuals are a sundry bag , at their best reminiscent of the 1930s - way animation ofCupheadbut at their worst feeling quite introductory , particularly with some of the allies that Billy picks up along the way . Meanwhile , the controls can sometimes be a bit awkward during platforming department , an matter that is n’t facilitate by the odd moment where the camera works against the player ’s movement .
These result ultimately do n’t sabotage just how charmingRainbow Billyis to play . With a subject matter of secure organized religion that rarely wear off out its welcome and a brilliant take onturn - based RPG fight , Rainbow Billyis a game that was clearly made with a lot of caution for its individual component part . Providing instrumentalist can rick off their cynicism , there ’s plenty to roll in the hay here .
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Rainbow Billy : The Curse of the Leviathanis out now for PC , PS4 , Xbox One , and Nintendo Switch . Screen Rant was provided with a PS4 download code for the purposes of this followup .
