Upside Down | a Review
originally published on 06/01/2024;
Hello everyone, I am the perpetually confused G.E.M.Simov, a person with his head over his heels, here to tell you about “Upside Down”.
Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it.
Gameplay
Upside Down is incredibly simple. Right arrow to go right, Left arrow to go left, and Up arrow to change gravity. The Player Character needs to be on the ground to change gravity, and that’s all there is to it.
Naturally, there are other things that show up - such as objects that, when walked into, do something to the map (remove obstacles) or things that walk about and, upon touching the Player Character, kill them, or pits in which the Player Character falls and dies, or platforms that disappear after being stepped on, or surfaces that move the Player Character in a certain direction.
All hazards that need to be overcome in some manner so that the Player might move on to the next level are mostly environmental. There are no issues with this game’s simple gameplay, aside from the fact that it would be a lot more pleasant to play and move around if gravity could be switched while in the air, and also collision boxes could have been a bit better done.
But, truly, this is just a platformer. Get from the start of the level to the end by using the three buttons. Thus, it’ll get a passing grade, though not too high - simplicity is good, but in this case it is a bit too much. 2/3
Presentation
Upside Down is very… Child friendly. It features bright colors which make for a pleasant atmosphere and some bits of artwork that are pretty nice.
Everything is 2D, from the side, since this is a side-scroller, and everything manages to look like a very well-done collage. It is pretty, well-drawn and also accompanied by a pleasant enough score, which gives off “feel good” vibes.
There are also decent sound effects, which don’t take away from the experience and help with providing the Player with feedback (the eternally important thing, feedback) whilst also adding more color to the picture.
The game features a tutorial that is very simple, as the game itself is simple, but also does not hold the Player’s hand. Whenever platforms that disappear when stepped upon appear, they do not get pointed out. Whenever a new type of intractable object appears, after intractable objects have been introduced once, they are not explicitly showcased as interactable and their function is not explicitly told to the Player.
However, at the same time, through good use of color palettes and shape language - you know, sharp forms & blobby forms - it manages to convey what these interactable objects will do.
Overall? It has no flaws with its presentation, or at least none that can impact its score negatively. 3/3
Story
There’s no story, aside from the goal of getting the straw-child to the weird plant house. So, unfortunately, no points can be given here. 0/3
Legendary Point
Does this game get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? Unfortunately for the quaint, cute little platformer game, no. Something was missing - some oomph, I suppose. 0/1
Conclusion
5/10. A perfectly average game that’ll work wonders for children and maybe even some fans of platformers, though it’s definitely not a game for everybody.
In the bag of mediocrity, it goes. It’s going to get very dusty.