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The Daily Click ::. Downloads ::. Review Review: Within a Deep Forest
Within a Deep Forest is, in my honest opinion, quite an amazing game. Here's why: PRESENTATION Already at the title screen the game looks very polished, with clean menus with nice visual response and fitting sounds. Then the intro tells the backstory in a very esthetically appealing and - considering the type of game - suprisingly ambitious way. The tutorial is nice and also a bit innovative in that it lets the player return at later points with new materials to reach new locations. The presentation is simply top notch. GAMEPLAY The gameplay is clear and simple, but (or as a consequence of it) appealing. The engine is solid and the physics generally feels right. After getting the first couple of materials I questioned whether what the gameplay had to offer was enough for a whole game, but I was soon convinced. A third into the game (or around there), the combination of logical puzzles with skill-based "obstacle courses" starts to get really interesting, and you need to think a bit for possible uses of the different materials, in order to proceed. Also, half the fun lies in finding and roaming the different environments (and their puzzles) within the deep forest. Some of the places really do have a certain unique and unearthly atmoshpere to them, much (but not only) thanks to the music. At times I almost thought someone had slipped some acid into my soda or something. In short, the game plays well, has a consistant feeling to it, and is still varied enough to stay interesting throughout. Two things bugged me a bit at times, though, even though it's nothing serious. First, some of the materials are a bit too similar, having almost exactly the same functionality except that some bounce higher than others and some are a bit harder to control. I really liked the more unique ones, however, like the glass ball, and in the end, the puzzles did require you to switch even between the more similar materials. Second, the exploration feeling of the game kinda died a bit after a while when you started to get the hang of the world, and you started to see the linearity: "ok, now I can bounce higher, then I can go to that place". Sure, sometimes you can enter a couple of new caves after getting a new material, but an even more open world (with some interesting secret areas) would enhance the exploration feeling (even thought just finding new caves was fun). However, I do realize that it would require a whole lot of additional work, and it's not really a problem. For the speed run, linearity might even be a good thing. GRAPHICS Moving on to the only part of the game that kinda disappointed me at times. Don't get me wrong; the intro looks awesome, and most of the graphics (together with the music) do provide atmopshere. I also really like the little creatures that're inhabiting the world. I have nothing against simple graphics, but sometimes they just get a little too dull, almost like they're just thrown together in paint. Like the outside of the stone tower, for example. On the other hand, some locations' graphics really reach out, even though they're simple, just by combining colors in neat ways and things like that. So there's a contrast here between "really good" and "really dull" that could've been solved with some work, to make the world more interesting to explore. SOUND AND MUSIC Both sound and music are two strong points in the game. The tunes generally fit their locations well, and most of them are just cool and/or catchy. (I'm actually listening to the soundtrack now, after finding the MODs in the music folder.) Fitting is a word that goes for the sound effects, too. Many of the materials feel incredibly good, much thanks to the fitting sounds that vary in intensity and character depending on the velocity at which the ball hits the ground. The glass ball may be my favourite. Not much more to say here, really. Close to perfect. LASTABILITY So, what's there to do with the game after finishing it? Well, I was really excited when I figured the mechanics behind unlocking the secret games. That was integrated in a really cool way. On the other hand, the bonus game (I only got the first one so far) I got for figuring it out was honestly quite lame, and way too simple (unless it bugged out for me or something). I'd be much more interesting to have the bonus be something in the normal game; extension of the gameplay, new locations, or whatever. So, how about keep exploring the world? That's not very interesting either, since there's probably not much more to find after you've completed the game. BUT, there's the speedrun mode, which thanks to the rewarding core gameplay is a nice addition. I did my first run earlier today (or actually yesterday), and I might do one again. Yeah, and in any case, I'll probably return to this game, since it's original and just fun to play. If nothing else, I gladly played it to the end, which is a lot more than I can say about most klik games (and games in general). OVERALL Simply put, a piece of great gaming art. Not without room for improvement, but still about as perfect as anything else I've seen here. When the final is over (which is maybe the coolest part of the game, in almost every aspect), it leaves you wanting more. Within a Deep Forest is easily on my "top-ten-or-around-there" list of favourite klik games ever, along with Lyle in Cube Sector, Eternal Daughter and a few more.
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