![]() Fighting is quick and brutal, broken up into ludic chunks of sneaking/strategising and brawling/running, shifting the pace from methodical to frantic at the drop of a hair. What I love about Overgrowth is that its narrative and gameplay components complement each other very well. The game’s world is an amoral one, where seeking one’s personal survival oftentimes requires violence. Wolfire Games shies away from the easy path of making their game a power fantasy, and instead explores the various ramifications of the violence the player perpetrates. Because of his heightened combat prowess and lack of remorse, Turner is an agent who can impact the world of Overgrowth in a way none of the other characters seem to be able to do, but with this responsibility comes the grim reality of how much pain he causes. It’s especially interested in making the player feel the consequences of being Turner, a character whose only meaningful way of interacting with his environment is indiscriminately murdering things. Even that sentence itself feels a little absurd to write – but trust me, Overgrowth’s story is great. Within these systems, I certainly didn’t expect to find was a cleverly written and detailed story about political intrigue, power struggles and social inequality. Each level boils down to a combat scenario bookended by brief cutscenes, and the game isn’t afraid to make you try a couple of times until you get it right. For example, attacking in midair executes a jump kick which knocks down an enemy and sends Turner flying in the opposite direction – it’s a punchy “give me some space” move which encourages players to make the most of their surroundings. This allows Wolfire games to work in parkour sections into some levels, but also create more interesting combat scenarios. Turner has a huge, flighty jump befitting a rabbit, and the wide rollicking hills and towering structures in each level are very conducive to the bounding movement options available to the player. There is also a hefty mix of platforming elements to keep things interesting. Swords, knives, spears and other weapons are scattered sparingly across each level and quickly become the meta of Overgrowth – most levels will be about finding which enemies carry weapons, dispatching them first and then leveraging the weapon to pick off other animals until everyone except you is dead. There are no health bars or even a HUD here: kills are registered by how much sheer damage a character takes whether it be a forceful kick, a weighty fall or a strike from a weapon. Combat is simple, quick and brutal – the left mouse button is a contextual attack, and the right mouse button timed correctly executes a counter or a stealthy kill move. Players take the role of Turner, a martial arts practicing rabbit, and guide him on his rampage killing other rabbits, dogs, cats, wolves and other animals alike. I can easily justify the purpose of every mechanic, every level and every design choice, and the developer has craftily used each component to give the best gameplay experience at every turn.Īt its core, Overgrowth is a combat game. The extended development time and constant incorporation of community feedback has led to a game which feels wholly well thought out. It began as a sequel to a shareware game – Lugaru – and saw a slow but consistent schedule of patches until its final release. Overgrowth, a combat platformer developed by Wolfire Games, has been in the pipeline for a long time coming. ![]()
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