Worldless, a Metroidvania, turn-based strategy game has just been released on Steam. But it is not just an indie title to brush off because it features familiar yet unique gameplay mechanics and a simple yet beautiful art style.
Worldless Is A Metroidvania That Blends Visually-Stunning Landscapes With Fast-Paced Combat
Worldless is the first action-adventure Metroidvania from NoName Studios. Based on the trailers we have seen, it is a monumental accomplishment. The game is set in a brand-new universe brimming with entities that often clash because of how different their ‘polarities’ are.
Two titles strike us as having similar visual elements, specifically Ori and the Blind Forest and Strayed Lights. Ori and the Blind Forest captivates the audience with soft touches of color yet with a highly emotional storyline whereas Strayed Lights makes use of bolder pallets to illustrate the types of beings you interact with.
The player’s task is to explore and discover every secret to develop their combat skills. But it is not as simple as it seems because creatures are lurking in every corner, prepared to fight to the death. This is where Worldless seeks to be different from the rest of the Metroidvanias or platformers because here, you cannot die.
A Unique Look At Death
Creative Director of NoName Studios, Joel Roset, clarifies that one of the team’s goals is to create a game that is unique but is still able to present challenging instances at every turn. Worldless’s combat relies on the player’s ability to familiarize themselves with their character’s actions as well as the target’s various incoming attacks and movements. Similar to other Metroidvanias, you need to be attuned to your surroundings and recognize when enemies are nearby to correctly time your attacks.
But this is also a double-edged sword. By constantly practicing the right order of attacks, you also increase the chances of getting killed. However, in Worldless, dying is not an option. Instead, you are teleported to the nearest and safest position, without any “game over screen” so you can once again try to beat the boss who initially defeated you.
However, this is not only applicable in combat since it also applies to platforming. This is the ideal solution the team came up with to reduce the level of frustration of players in having to traverse the area once again just to face the same boss or go through the same platforming level.
Absorption
For fans who are seeking multiple challenges, this “no death rule” does not mean that Worldless is simple – far from it. At the start, the basics of combat and character progression are taught. Fairly easy, right? However, the difficulty ramps up quickly, especially when you need to “absorb” a specific form of power from an enemy. Like in Strayed Lights, players who defeat their targets will have the opportunity to absorb their abilities, thereby improving their own character.
But it is also possible to forget about absorbing them in the end. In cases like these, you will still have the opportunity to do so because the encounter will simply repeat itself. Of course, the problem lies in having to put down a difficult foe a second time around. Mastering skills is one thing, and executing the right attack patterns is crucial in every encounter, which I will discuss next.
Worldless Pattern Design
Enemies in Worldless are not just blobs of energy that you can easily silence, especially in the middle and latter parts of the game. These are balanced with the skills you acquire to maintain the correct level of challenge at every section. Strayed Lights incorporates nearly the same mechanics such that enemies become vulnerable. Once in this state, you can now apply absorption damage to suck their abilities dry.
What has been done differently in this Metroidvania is that there is an associated mini-game with the act of absorbing power. ‘Blocks’ will appear on the screen and the right ones to break require huge damage to do so before applying an absorption-related attack. This is where the turn-based aspect of the game comes in. Enemies do the same thing and their attacks can catch you off-guard at the beginning so you need to be quick enough to recognize their patterns.
Next is the defensive turn, which allows you to gain certain buffs to parry attacks and perform counterattacks, as a result. So every encounter will be different from the one that came before it, and much more interactive.
Failure is treated lightly, and in a good way to teach players how to learn the game properly without the intention of making them feel frustrated. Rather, Worldless still aims to create a challenging yet achievement-worthy atmosphere despite taking a different approach to doing so.
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