Do you believe in magic? What do you think it looks and feels like? exist Hinterberg underground city, magic is disturbingly real. Where it appears, monsters inspired by local folklore have come to life and otherworldly dungeons have emerged. The quiet mountain town has become a booming industrial hub, and every “normal” place reminds people of the magic they lack in their own lives.
This is how we find the main character Luisa at the beginning of the story. Hinterberg underground city. Louisa, a disillusioned junior at a law firm, packs her bags and escapes the monotony and numbness of life in search of a chance to feel something Experience the true magic of the town of Hinterberg. let me tell you, Hinterberg underground city Full of magic. Over the course of 20 hours, I explored dungeons, met townsfolk, and hiked across numerous Alpine terrains, Fascinated. Not without some hiccups, but no doubt mine The feel-good game of the year so far and a fantastic foray into indie gaming Sarda-like.
clean escape
The crux of the matter HinterbergThe charm lies in its simplicity. You’ll often start each day with a brief conversation with another character, and then embark on a journey to one of them. Hinterbergarea to explore the dungeon. At this point, you’ll be hiking through a picturesque park (presented in stunning pop art), searching for, and eventually entering, one of the game’s 25 dungeons. Once you’re done, you’ll return to town, where you can buy potions, gear, and upgrades, as well as talk to some of the townsfolk and other visitors, and play a simple adapted game. social connection system. Then, rinse and repeat.
By cutting out a lot of the filler and bloat, a bigger game could probably load up, Hinterberg is allowed to shine the spotlight on its most honed edges, its titular dungeons. Each of the game’s 25 dungeons has some kind of gimmick, and although they start out simple, they eventually evolve into something more grandiose. Early dungeons will have you bouncing from encounter to encounter via minecarts, but later dungeons might become multi-level auto-scrollers on river rafts or puzzle boxes with mind-bending perspectives. Fez or monument valley. Some of these games feature fewer encounters in favor of puzzles (and vice versa), but each one is a refreshing experience that embodies both aesthetics and features that dungeon game fans will likely recognize. mechanism.
When it really starts, HinterbergThe puzzle solving is wonderful. It’s never so abstract or convoluted that it completely bogs you down, but it does require concentration. The answer to a puzzle is never far away, which means you only have to think for a few seconds to piece together what needs to be done. As a person who may be a bit savage, I like This puzzle design school. HinterbergThe puzzles in the game are intuitive, and because many of them build upon each other, they become more complex as you progress, so you evolve too, informally learning its philosophical language and interacting with it. integrated into one. In many puzzle games I bang my head against the wall until I beat it, but in Hinterberg It felt more like I was in sync with the puzzle and we achieved cohesion with each other.
One way is Hinterberg What remains novel is the radical transformation through creative use of convention and camera. One level might be presented as a 2D platformer, another as an action RPG, e.g. diablo Completely isometric, some of my favorite levels take place in the snow, with repetitive level designs for its various dungeons super mario galaxy,everything. It even has a Lost Forest style dungeon Sardaits main influence, and at the same time Hinterberg Through these transformations, it has remained essentially the same, but it has become dynamic in its homage to these genres and specific games, becoming a celebratory and triumphant parody of its various ancestors.
Speaking of which, however HinterbergThe dungeon is heavily tilted Sarda territory, whose battles most notably came from dark soul, although it has never been this hard. You have light and heavy swings that can be weaved into short, simple combinations that may knock down or even knock out your opponent. When you’re not under attack, though, you’ll be dodging rolls like a jerk and managing your stamina and MP gauges, which are tied to using two abilities that rotate the most important ones based on the area you’re in are these super effective moves called attack conduits that have a cooldown timer instead of a meter and can be changed out almost at any time. If this sounds standard, that’s because it is, and Hinterberg This winning formula will not be messed with for the sake of player comfort. In a game so full of novelty, it’s a bit disappointing that encounters have become so monotonous.
Not just looking at each other
When Louisa arrives as an adventurer (known as the Slayer) who ventures out and talks to the people of the town, it becomes clear that magic is not what the brochures and marketing machines make it out to be. Magic has come to Hinterberg, transforming the town, and its mayor seems hell-bent on commodifying the experience and making it available to as many people as possible. Theresa, who runs the hotel where Luisa is staying, is experiencing unprecedented success due to the constant influx of tourists, but this comes at an ever-increasing cost. noise. While an Adventurer’s Club does exist near the hotel, it’s not really a source of noise. Instead, it’s the noise of gears turning beneath the surface; a noise that threatens to drown out Hinterberg’s residents, who once had a say in what happened in their town for the sake of capital.
Soon Luisa befriends various people in the town and benefits from these relationships through its social system, becoming the embodiment of their collective will. As she gets to know people like Hannah the blacksmith, Louisa begins to uncover a conspiracy that could overthrow Hinterberg, whose leadership has been trying to seize and sell magic. Hinterberg‘s “comfort” masks an uglier truth, as it provides commentary on the things we are unwilling to do and give up for a dollar or ounce of power, money or influence.
I really appreciate the nuances Hinterberg Telling this story took me to a place I never expected. The game is very clear about Louisa’s role as a tourist and acknowledges that she and many of the people she meets are a big part of the problems plaguing the village. Whether it’s for fame, a fantasy-filled vacation, or as a way to exorcise their inner demons, everyone looks to Hinterberg and its magic to solve some of their own problems, but never really gives back to the town or does anything about it Invest in its people. Instead, Luisa and her kind come to town, take. If magic were real Hinterberg I believe we can’t help but abuse it, and maybe we’d be better off without it. Perhaps what we all need to do is take stock of our lives and the lives around us and ask how we can resolve to change our communities for the better, rather than looking to the divine or magic to fix it all.
10/10, going to kill again
although Hinterberg Taught me that I should face my problems instead of running away from them, and I happily return to this game again and again. The alpine beauty it presents cannot be overstated and I was simply mesmerized by the act of jogging on its gorgeous trails. Its top-notch dungeon design further complements the sheer joy of immersing yourself in a world filled with magic. Like the best resorts, I can’t wait to be hooked HinterbergReveal its charm once again and revel in its luxury for a long time to come.
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