Unobound: Worlds Apart in Test: Again a Metroidvania?

In recent years, not only many metroidvanias appeared, especially many good metroidvanias appeared. Instead of making it exciting now, the dissolution comes here (if you did not do anyway already on the rating): UNBOUND ranks in the group of the recommended adventures effortlessly. In addition to the recently published Axiom Verge 2 fans of the genre now have to consider exactly where they are currently investing their money, and we want to help you, of course - what distinguishes unbound in contrast to his competitor?

Table of contents

1. 1Fantasy instead of Sci-Fi

1. 2Nute, but smoke
2. 3k (l) a beauty error?

Fantasy instead of Sci-Fi

Platforming is an important part of unbound. Here we have to steer the floating stone with the aid of the portal to the destination. Source: PC Games There is first the setting: While Axiom is geared on the great Genre-mother metroid, you are in unbound in a colorful, albeit not always friendly fantasy world. She embodies the small solos and experienced how your villages are laid by a magical catastrophe in debris and ashes. The crystals that Solis should protect home from disaster are fragmented, Ergo we make ourselves looking for the fragments to ban the danger of demonic attackers from foreign dimensions. Soli uses the power of the crystals to open portals to other worlds.

With the portal we clear the water out of the way and thus come to the sliding rocks. Source: PC Games, however, not only to teleport, like playing with similar topics! Instead, we open round windows to other worlds so as to manipulate the environment in the area. This has a variety of benefits: Some stones can only be moved by portal, tabs on the wall will tend to tend to hold on solos, and one or the other monster turns into a portal even to a rock sliding on switches leaves. Depending on the environment, the interaction possibilities change, in the shallows, for example, the portal donates light, or we use reverse gravity to run on the ceiling. A bit you can imagine how at Guacamelee, where you can also change the environment at the push of a button, only more varied. In addition, the usual metroidvania skills that HERDIN Soli uses independently of the helpful portal forces.

cute, but happy

We see, we see almost nothing - only the portal donates light in the dark. These portals must be manually opened on the left shoulder button. Source: PC Games Compared to Axiom Verge, unbound looks clearly creepiger. However, the cartoon look does not mean that it is a breeze, neither in the literal nor in the transmitted sense. On the one hand, there are only English texts in unbound English texts and at the beginning of the adventure Solis adoptive nut is killed by a monster. On the other hand, the Metroidvania delivers crisp platforming challenges, which also demand experienced players. There is no right fighting here, but death lurks on every corner on the heroine. After all, the control is exemplary precisely, so you can only push the distinction to something else than on your own timing. In some moments, however, it comes to frame rate burglaries. But: The reset points are fair and teleporting each place ensures comfort.

K (l) a beauty error?

When varied in the portal capabilities, it is not bad that the selection of the learning talents are not particularly creative - double jump, wall climbing and so on. If you already have the hobby video games for a few years, the story will probably not beat the stool around magical crystals and strange dimensions, but it s easy to interchangeable. And the quests are accordingly not as exciting as in other metroidvanias - you usually collect crystals whose approximate location is highlighted on the map. As a secrets for discovering serve survivors of the village catastrophe.

In terms of atmosphere and ingenuity, there has been a Hollow Knight with his enchanted insect king (and a combat system on top) the nose. There is a lot of platform challenges with varied gimmicks in unbound. And since this metroidvania is so different as Axiom Verge 2, although it belongs to the same genre, it is likely to drop fans of the division slightly to decide for a favorite - or access both titles, and that is not a false decision.

Unobound: Worlds Apart is available for PC, PlayStation, Switch and Xbox.

My opinion

Vonkatharina Pache Editorial manager katharina.pache@computec.de

Not my personal favorite Metroidvania, but maybe yours soon!

I like the fact that I have seen individual mechanics already in a variety of metroidvanias, but that they were shaken and turbed here. Besides, it s all about the action with the action, so I like that. Most dialogues can be skipped on request or you do not have to lead them. At the next title of Alien Pixel Studios from Bucharest, I would wish for a little more courage at Story, Setting and (mission) design. As far as the gameplay is concerned, I m already highly satisfied! The Platforming, the puzzles, you just like to play. Metroidvania fans should not miss this title, even if he can not quite upset in the genre Olymp - but the competition is extremely strong. A warning still: unbound is much shorter than comparable games, you can count on five to seven hours of entertainment.

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Unobound: Worlds Apart in Test: Again a Metroidvania? (1) [Source: Alien Pixel Publishing]

From Katharina Pache Editorial manager 02.10.2021 at 11:00