Developers Empty Head Games deserve a lot of credit for implementing interesting gameplay elements into Saviorless.
2D platformer is among one of the oldest and most popular genres when it comes to games. Indie developers in particular have made this genre even more popular with so many good platformers being developed by them over the past many years. Saviorless, among such games, is a 2D platformer that gradually incorporates aspects of fighting as the narrative progresses. It’s the debut title of the Cuban indie developer Empty Head Games and published by Dear Villagers and Plug In Digital.
The stunning graphics in this adventure draw you in right away, allowing you to accompany little Antar on his journey to a fantastical land. His voyage, however, is fraught with unfathomable perils, and his destiny is still shrouded in mystery. Playing Saviorless is a breeze. It just took four hours to complete. That being said, it’s not a big deal; the game’s simplistic mechanics could get old fast. You can find hidden objects throughout the game, which can lead to alternate endings.
The story, which was rather puzzling at first, held my interest for the entire hour-long campaign. Upon starting Saviorless, we are introduced to free characters Arimbo, Len, and their uncle Tobias perched on an open tower. All of these people are known as narrators, and they control the protagonists by telling their stories. But storytellers should follow a few simple guidelines. In addition to being unable to control a single protagonist, they are also unable to let another protagonist realize their goals inside the same plot.
You assume the role of the protagonist in Saviorless as they follow the narrator through a story that has been passed down through generations with the same predictable conclusion. The Narrator claims that this is the only way to tell the story in order to keep the world from falling into chaos. Nonetheless, two of his youthful apprentices disagree and proactively attempt to rewrite the story in a different manner. Things spiral out of hand at that point.
Antar, a restless young lad with a dream of becoming a Savior on the idyllic Smiling Islands, is the protagonist of this tale. Along with extremely well-designed, hand-drawn scenes, you’ll face perilous monsters and obstacles on your way to the islands. In Saviorless’ fantastical universe, there are both lighthearted and gloomy and weird moments. The music fits nicely with the gloomy vibe, however it gets old fast because there isn’t much variation.
Taking control of Antar grants you the ability to jump, crouch, and interact with items. There isn’t a whole lot to see here since this is essentially the standard platform. Keys are used to unlock doors at the beginning of the game. When you find one, you’ll see it displayed on the bottom right of the screen. Your character’s death resets the game to the point where it was last saved.
Plus, dying isn’t as big of an issue because the game autosaves often. Several sections of the game will put your platforming skills to the test; for instance, you’ll have to cross certain levels to progress. Of course, there will be diversions, like a monster whose earphones will drive you over the edge. To overcome the challenge in Saviorless, you’ll need to use cover and crouch walk.
You will die if you come into touch with the foes that are present. Since you are unable to directly strike them, you will need to employ strategy. Enemies will have to be lured into attacking you near a trap for them to die. The game’s mechanics are straightforward: Antar must jump to escape traps, overcome opponents and obstacles, and manipulate in-scene objects and machinery like levers and moving platforms. At the beginning of the game, the young man is defenseless, therefore the focus is on navigating the area and solving the riddles that are part of the scenario.
You can find story pages in Saviorless, which serve as collectibles, placed around each level. You can see the number of outstanding items in the lower left corner of your screen. When you get enough of these, you can talk to an NPC and they will give you something as a reward. You don’t have to include each story page; skipping a couple is quite OK. If you happen to have forgotten any, simply consult Dasein for assistance. If you manage to collect every page in a level, you’ll unlock a trophy. However, I’m not sure if this has any impact on the gameplay.
Along your swing through the jungle, you’ll encounter threats like the octopus attacks, which you must avoid at all costs. There are additional challenges that test your timing, requiring you to act with a touch more urgency. It was at this point that I recognized the game as an action platformer, not merely a 2D platformer. A second playable character with attack abilities has been added, which is a nice surprise. Unlike Antar, this character has health and can take damage before dying. By destroying containers and defeating enemies, his HP can be replenished.
Saviorless’s gameplay takes a sharp turn when it introduces boss fights, where you must channel the wrath of the story’s apparent enemy while dodging your enemies’ patterns. Because they pop up out of nowhere and give you little time to prepare, these battles tend to be on the easier side. and which, once Antar becomes Salvador’s shape, adds a bit more, such as occasions when you confront both large bosses and hordes of opponents.
While the some of the stages may lack intuitiveness, it possesses an inventive quality, a unique intellect, and an engaging storyline that alleviates part of the monotony of the game’s four or five hours of playtime; By the time you reach the most challenging boss fights, Saviorless has already forced you to confront the enemies in a new light, armed only with your wits and techniques for evading their attacks.
In this way, you may better understand and adapt to the rhythms and patterns you’ll encounter later on. Just keep in mind that Antar can’t launch direct attacks, so you’ll have to find alternative ways to defeat adversaries. You may expect to have to attempt a few times before you memorize the patterns, but none of them are particularly difficult.
The puzzle parts were fun and easy on the brain. During your journey, you will come across enemies that possess an attack that has an area of impact. You will die if you are captured within the limit of the radius. On occasion, when I was attempting to lure enemies to come after me, they got wrapped up in the area of the effect of another enemy and died. This being said, keep in mind that the platforming sequences do get increasingly difficult as the game progresses.
Saviorless becomes increasingly challenging as you progress, with some sections demanding lightning-fast reflexes and timing that even a marathon runner would be impressed with. Additionally, your surroundings get deadly, enemies grow larger and more agile, and your death toll rises substantially. Typical of platformers is the irritating section where you wonder what the hell happened and why you perished; still, this is par for the course. On the other hand, it would be dull if there was no challenge at all.
Saviorless has an excellent art style, and the soundtrack is even better. All of the characters and the stages have been delicately drawn by hand. Also, the animations are really well done; clearly, a lot of work went into making this game. The tune that plays in the background reflects the surroundings in some of the darker levels, and every line seems to fit perfectly.
The game ran well, if not amazingly. I encountered some small hiccups here and there, but nothing too major. While I can’t say that any of these changed my opinion of the game, I think they are worth mentioning anyhow. Furthermore, there is no save option; instead, Antar will return you to the last saved point if you wish to exit the game. Even if you have a save file from before you finished the game, loading it will basically return you to the last level.
My time spent playing Saviorless was around five hours, although I’m sure there are others who can finish the game far more quickly. I thought the game was fun overall; the mechanics were solid, and the platforming was solid as well. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the parts that involved combat. It was a fresh take on the platforming and combat formula.
Empty Head Games did a fine job being able to deliver Saviorless with some interesting gameplay elements. They may not be revolutionary for the genre but do add some freshness to it. The protagonist not able to engage in combat and skillfully lure enemies to traps is a unique touch. It’s not an expensive game, so anyone who enjoys platformers can give Saviorless a try.
