Opinions on this title are based on the demo, not the full release so it’s all subject to change.
The beautiful and mysterious world of MOTORSLICE (developed and published by Regular Studio and Top Hat Studios respectively) feels like an amalgamation of many titles, but it brings its own qualities to bear, creating a fresh take on those game it seeks to imitate. The first thing you’ll notice when starting the game is its aesthetic - clean shapes, simple textures, a pastel colour palette, and a strange dystopian future setting. Your goal? To navigate the world and to destroy the mega machines that populate it. If that sounds similar to Shadow of the Colossus, you’d be right, and save for the aforementioned setting and distinct lack of a dying girlfriend and a horse to chum about with, it’s pretty much the same concept - and what a welcome concept that is!
What is shown off in the demo is rather limited, but it gives a good taste of what the full title is all about - which is the exploration and navigation of the game world. This is what you’ll chiefly be doing, and involves lots of sprinting, jumping, climbing, wall running, and all sorts of parkour activities. The level design is very virtually orientated, and you’ll find yourselves meandering around vast structures and doubling back over and under yourself in order to reach the next area. In this respect the game is akin to the likes of Mirrors Edge (both mechanically and stylistically), as well as Tomb Raider (for the awe and general jumping nonsense), and funnily enough, Super Meat Boy, because you’ll no doubt be ground to a bloody mess far more often than you’d like by the various hazards about the place.
Navigation for the most part is quite solid, although there is some vagary that might cause you some frustration initially. These come into focus when shimmying along cracks in walls and jumping to and from them, and a little bit with the wall traversal mechanic involving your sword. I think it’s just a case of practice makes perfect though, and after a while, you really do get into the groove and get to a point where you build up a pace - which brings to mind the likes of Ghostrunner, another jumpy-get-killed-a-lot game.
It isn’t all prancing about however, there is combat too. This mechanic, while servable, is, at least in the demo, limited. Despite its simplicity, it is quite satisfying though. Swings with the chainsaw blade are heavy and hits result in nice crunchy deaths, bringing to mind the likes to the Surge, both for the combat itself and the enemies you face, as what you’ll be killing is lots of machines. Just beware that doing so will get you covered in oil - unless you fall to your death, whereupon you’ll burst like a bloody pulpy balloon. Falling in combat isn’t too much of a concern with the regular enemies, but it does become a consideration when facing off against the bosses, which serves as the end goal for the demo. As mentioned, this is very similar to Shadow of the Colossus, and will see you in a vast arena facing off against said machine - in this instance, a massive dump truck. These fights involve climbing onto the machine (while it’s moving), and making your way around and up it, targeting its vulnerable extremities with your sword as you do, eventually destroying it in the process. Like I say, very Colossus-esque, but a very under utilised mechanic, so it’s nice to see a fresh take in a new game.
Overall, this game is very enjoyable, and just about the right level of taxing, allowing you to bask in the wonder of its strangely beautiful and lonely world, and while it might seem a little scant, there is more hinted at than is shown in the demo. While you’re here, check out previous Next Fest posts, perhaps you’ll find something that has passed you by!
STEAM NEXT FEST
Demos hold a lot of memories for people of a certain age - the fabled disk of unreleased treasures stuck to the front of a magazine. Often the only source of new gaming experiences outside of occasional gifts, rare renting opportunities, and negotiated trades amongst friends. For a long while, demos seemed to fall out of favour, but in recent years they have made a comeback, thanks to the easy of access afforded by Steam, and the Next Fest, which regularly shines a light on new and upcoming releases, allowing developers to show of their games to a wide audience. What follows is a list of games I’ve covered from past Next Fests.
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Looks awesome! Art style reminds me of a 3D version of "inside".
Super cool! Gotta play this one