I ’m in .
say me if you have n’t heard this one before : A small character is mislay in a shuddery globe , their satellite is being taken over by aliens , or nightmare from beyond lurk in the shadows . Most of their interaction with the world involves fight crates , climbing ropes , and hide out from foeman .
Sound familiar ? I ’m trusted you could conceive of several games from the preceding few year that , despite a unfermented coat of paint , abide by the same design philosophy , Crates and Ropes .
The success of Playdead ’s Limbo and INSIDE played a big role in the resurgence of what I wish to call the ‘ 2D Cinematic Platformer ’ genre . But at this point , many of these game are starting to palpate the same . Thankfully , while Bionic Bay wears its inspirations on its arm , it ditches the crates , circle , and giant robot eye in favor of fluid and imaginative platforming .
The opening gave me pause . Our theatrical role be active with the focal ratio of an infant , and I was already win over this was another one of those games . That chop-chop changed when he was struck by a beam of light , deed over him the power to not only run like a maniac but also jump and stand out with unbelievable momentum . Almost immediately , I felt the forward-moving inactiveness impel me between platforms , making the cosmos feel dynamical and tightly designed around this newfound hurrying .
Then do the second ability , and I almost felt like this game was designed to validate my pain with Crates and Ropes . Why ? Instead of tediously pushing objects around , Bionic Bay lets you teleport crate and other large target , turning them into tools for creative platforming puzzle . The pacing is great , the controls are stringent , and everything feels deliberate .
Image via Kepler Interactive
I ’m not going to mar the other powers , but our platforming kit keeps evolving throughout the prevue levels , and I ’m very interested to see how far the developer will take it . The backgrounds are gorgeous , it ’s like Zdzisław Beksiński and H.R. Giger collaborated on a video game after a surreal , otherworldly date . badly , the backgrounds are awe - inspiring and make expectant use of space to speculate the massive scale of measurement of these complex body part . If you ’re playing this on a big sieve , it ’s hard to take your optic off of it .
Oh , and there ’s a multiplayer way . I can only imagine the portion out chaos that will let loose . If you ’re concerned in trying out the game for yourself , thedemo is still uncommitted on Steam .
Bionic Bay never wasted a second gear of my clip , and I ca n’t wait to play the full game . Psychoflow Studio and Mureena Oy have something special on their hand , and I just hope the final dismission keeps up the momentum .
Image via Kepler Interactive
Bionic Bay is come to PC , Xbox Series S|X , and PS5 onApril 17 , 2025 .
Image via Kepler Interactive
Image via Kepler Interactive
