Written by Patrick Orquia
Title: MO: Astray
Developer: Archpray
Publisher: Rayark
Genre: Action, Adventure, Platformer, Puzzle
Number of Players: 1
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: September 10, 2020
Price: $14.99
MO: Astray is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer and one amazing-looking game. It is presented in detailed pixel art style, with smooth animation and excellent character design. Add to that the immersive soundtrack that captures the ambience of the environment very well. Never has the post-apocalypse ever been captured this good.
Yes, this game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where people have been overcome by a deadly parasite that either killed them or made them into some zombie-like creatures. And then there is MO, a creature that looks like a blue blob of slime, seemingly alone in the world. You play as MO, and at the start of the game, you wake up in a dark place with some glowing trees. Here you are tasked by a disembodied voice to go through a world full of ruins, traps, platforms, and a few of the aforementioned zombie-like creatures. The world of this game is filled with images of death and ruin, in some instances, even surprisingly gory and disgusting, suggesting that one hell of a calamity happened in the world. You are given no information on what happened and you are supposed to ultimately achieve, but bit by bit, as you progress further, you get story snippets here and there in a form of memories or flashback-like visions. You will have to connect them together to make sense of what you have experienced so far.
The standout factor of the game is its amazing gameplay. Playing as a minimalistic blob in a platforming game seems to be not too exciting. A blob lacks character after all, so it is understandable. But in this game, MO eventually gets more and more abilities to perform, like dash and double jump, typical in metroidvania games. I don’t think this game can be considered a metroidvania, since there are really no closed off areas to unlock or to backtrack to, though it features similarities with Dandara in MO’s movement. The game more closely resembles Celeste in its heavy reliance to platforming, but a lot less frantic. As you progress into the game, more gameplay elements get introduced, like new abilities and platforming variety to keep you interested.
Working in tandem with the platforming elements of the game are the various area puzzles that you will have to work around and resolve to open new areas. Working on those levers and switches and manipulating platforms really worked my brains out and it felt good coming up with solutions on my own. There are also some areas that are not easy to reach that contain upgrades to your health bar (in a form of a blob similar to MO, but immobile). Collect 5 and another notch is added to your health bar, similar to the Zelda games. There are 5 of these collectibles per chapter scattered around, so you better be attentive to your surroundings so as not to miss them, but you did, all chapters can be replayed so that you can collect them all.
With the way the world is divided into one section leading to the next, the game keeps your interest high and entices you to play some more to find out what you will encounter next. The game’s narrative is divided into chapters, consisting of multiple sections that you will be required to traverse by platforming and puzzle-solving, with an amazing boss fight at the end. These boss fights are also a highlight of this game, as the bosses are big and terrifying and the ways to beat them are varied and satisfying. You will have to put your skills to the test up to that point. Their attacks have clear tells and you will identify the patterns in no time. The latter boss fights even have multiple phases, and you may need to spend some time to beat them, but again, beating them is satisfying and will give you the motivation to look forward to meeting the next one.
REPLAY VALUE: High
PROS
- Excellent visuals, animation, lighting effects, level design, and character design
- Immersive musical score
- Very good use of HD Rumble
- Plays well in handheld
- Stable performance
- Has multiple difficulty modes, and it is quite challenging even at the lowest difficulty
- Past chapters can be replayed for you to get all collectibles
- Awesome gameplay, with wide variety of platforming styles incorporated in area puzzles
- Amazing boss fights
- HP regenerates over time
- Very generous auto-saving
CONS
- Unnecessarily convoluted plot
- The narrative is presented in walls of text, and the text are often broken phrases that are quite hard to understand
- Lacks full voice acting
RATING: 4.5/5 Post-Apocalyptic Slimes and Monsters
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