A budget title at only a few quid, and a console port of a PC game from several years ago by a solo developer, whilst Dark Reflection starts strong and has a nice identity with the heavy metal / classic adventure mash-up, the game too often focuses on its own weaker areas such as combat, which makes the game feel clunkier than it really needed to be.
As one of two teenagers who decide to complete a ritual that opens a portal to a demon realm, you start by gathering the gear to set up the ritual. The first thing that will strike you is the pixel visuals; they have a wonderfully home-made vibe that really took me back to the PD glory days of the Amiga, something bolstered by the style of the sound effects and music, which moves from eerie, lilting piano to spooky ambience and – of course- metal.
The graphic adventure part of the game works well; the writing isn’t overly flowery or verbose, and the characters’ personalities (admittedly a bit one-note, but they suit the game) come through in the text. Due to the hand-drawn art, it really is a treat to see what the next screen holds and take in the little details.
Of course, soon after this section, the game kicks off in earnest as you have to rescue your friend from the demon realm, and this is where things faltered for me, as the game then relies more on combat and reflexes, not ideal when the hit detection is wobbly, your attack has limited range, and you can’t tell which enemies can be hurt and which should be avoided. Combat was the weakest aspect of Dark Reflection, and unfortunately it’s not a small part.
SUMMARY
A short and somewhat nostalgic game, Dark Reflection will definitely call to mind titles of the past with the enemy patterns, visuals and audio, but I do wish it kept more of a focus on the graphic adventure side of things as opposed to the action, as that really did need a bit more work to feel fully fleshed out.
As one of two teenagers who decide to complete a ritual that opens a portal to a demon realm, you start by gathering the gear to set up the ritual. The first thing that will strike you is the pixel visuals; they have a wonderfully home-made vibe that really took me back to the PD glory days of the Amiga, something bolstered by the style of the sound effects and music, which moves from eerie, lilting piano to spooky ambience and – of course- metal.
The graphic adventure part of the game works well; the writing isn’t overly flowery or verbose, and the characters’ personalities (admittedly a bit one-note, but they suit the game) come through in the text. Due to the hand-drawn art, it really is a treat to see what the next screen holds and take in the little details.
Of course, soon after this section, the game kicks off in earnest as you have to rescue your friend from the demon realm, and this is where things faltered for me, as the game then relies more on combat and reflexes, not ideal when the hit detection is wobbly, your attack has limited range, and you can’t tell which enemies can be hurt and which should be avoided. Combat was the weakest aspect of Dark Reflection, and unfortunately it’s not a small part.
SUMMARY
A short and somewhat nostalgic game, Dark Reflection will definitely call to mind titles of the past with the enemy patterns, visuals and audio, but I do wish it kept more of a focus on the graphic adventure side of things as opposed to the action, as that really did need a bit more work to feel fully fleshed out.
6.5/10
MELTING
(also available on PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Developer - Slay Buherman Publisher – Stamina Zero