| Seiklusclysm | Seiklus (Estonian for "Adventure") is a relatively peaceful entry in the platforming genre. You play as a white humanoid who has been separated from his girlfriend and must explore the world around him in hopes of being reunited with his love.
Seiklus is pretty simple in mechanic; You move around and jump with the arrow keys and press space to check your current game progress. Your goal is to roam around the landscape collecting various colored orbs (100 of each color) to unlock the path back to your girlfriend. There are no enemies and the areas can be explored in any order you choose, though the discovery of medallions scattered about the world will aid you in your quest and often encourage the direction of your exploration. A few puzzles scattered about the world will occasionally flex your brain muscle and add some variety to the straightforward gameplay.
There are two endings: one when you reach your girlfriend and one when you complete the game with 100%. Neither of them are anything to write home about, but they still manage to give a feeling of achievement.
The world is not as large as you will first assume when you begin playing, but the mission of collecting every orb ensures the game will last for more than an hour. There is a small amount of backtracking later in the game, but this will allow you to enjoy the rather cute and simple graphics employed by Seiklus.
The music is considered an optional download by the author, but I have included it in our version just so you don't have to hunt it down. I should also mention that most of it will be very annoying for those who don't already have a taste for chiptunes. If you would like to remove the music, the readme.txt file explains the procedure.
Seiklus has become quite famous for its emphasis on peaceful exploration. Well known game developers like Nifflas Nygren (creator of Knytt and Within a Deep Forest) have cited Seiklus as the key inspiration.
I can't finish this review without explaining why I only gave the game a 7. While the simple and relaxing gameplay is definitely worth it, I felt the actual platforming physics were downright funky. I was frustrated on more than one occasion because of the jump button not registering a press or my character's inability to stand on the edge of a platform. Seiklus also takes a few cheap shots in terms of difficulty. The hidden white orbs scattered about the world require you to search every nook and cranny for fake walls and floors that serve no other purpose than to extend the playing time.
Overall, Seiklus is a fun and relaxing platformer that definitely deserves some attention. |
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