![]() ![]() One aspect that I thought was interesting is how they handled the lighting. The art style and the sound design are both reminiscent of classic pixel platformers of the past however, the pixel art in this has its own unique aesthetic, using a limited amount of colors in each area. It can be opened at any time with a press of the Y button. There are multiple areas on the spaceship and each one has its own color scheme and signage which helps with navigation a bit, but the art style overall is somewhat bland making getting around without a map difficult. The game world is very compact basically, it’s a medium-sized square made up of a bunch of rooms with maze-like paths throughout. Speaking of the map, I was about halfway through the game and thinking about how much I needed a map. Also, as you explore the map you will open up a fair amount of shortcuts. Forcing you to restart at the beginning screen might sound like a cruel punishment and a waste of time, but because the game environment isn’t that big it’s not really an issue. ![]() When you lose all your health you are teleported back to the starting trash cans, but you don’t lose any inventory items and the sections you explored remain filled in on the map. Getting hit by an enemy will cause you to lose a hit point, and touching one of the trap obstacles like the floor spikes will also cause you to lose a hit point however, when that happens you restart from the beginning of the current room. The Racoon has a typical health meter starting with a few hearts. There are a lot of jumping segments and plenty of floor spikes, as well as spinning spiky traps that move left to right or up and down. There isn’t a lot of variety, but because the movement mechanics are so solid it makes exploring the game world enjoyable. The physical level design in Trash Quest in terms of obstacles is well done. This encompasses many aspects, but to simplify things: is the world fun to traverse and explore? This is important since you will be backtracking and zigzagging around the environment. The second pillar that is common amongst all great Metroidvanias is world design. There are seven in total and they will all test your precision, reaction speed, and memory although the Boss’s movesets are on the simple side, some of them can be tricky to dodge until you get a feel for them. ![]() The only exceptions are the boss encounters. Our trash-loving raccoon hero also has a basic blaster attack that can be fired straight ahead with the right trigger or right button however, despite having this attack ability, the emphasis is definitely on moving around the environment. If you have three stamina dots you can jump three times, or you can jump, dash, jump, or dash, dash, jump, or… you get the point right? To clarify, your energy is instantly replenished anytime you land on a surface. The abilities that the raccoon gains while exploring the game world aren’t groundbreaking we have the double jump, a hover, and a dash, but tying them to a stamina system allows the player to experiment with traversal in a way we don’t usually see. Trash Quest contains a lot of DNA from the precision platforming sub-genre, and the movement mechanics are tight, allowing the player to feel like they have a high degree of control. This is a combination of the actual movement mechanics and the abilities that you gain while playing through the game. The first is in regards to traversal in the game world. Great Metroidvanias always have two traits in common. We are then introduced to our protagonist, a loveable raccoon (trash panda), who is a stowaway in the station’s trash sector. When it scans for unauthorized lifeforms the display reads one, and the automated defense system is activated. There are a few issues I have with the game overall but the positives far outweigh the negatives.įrancis Vace doesn’t waste any of our time bogging us down with a complicated narrative, instead we get a short story set up at the start of the game that shows us a display screen running a diagnostics check for the space station Deliverance. Francis Vace and publisher RedDeerGames have produced a game that is a joy to play thanks to the precise controls as well as fun and familiar traversal abilities. Trash Quest has all the characteristics that Metroidvania fans have grown to love but on a compacted scale. ![]()
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