It may not be the most popular genre today, but if platformers have stood the test of time, it’s that they’ve always captured the spirit of gaming in its purest form. It doesn’t matter how deep or simple a story is, how detailed or crude a stage is, or even whether there’s more than one dot on the screen. Platform games are journeys that players must take to reach an end, and Holy Cap’s Promenade requires us to take a walk to complete this journey that is both fun and challenging.
The thing is, I’ve had the chance to check out this game on an early build during the last Gamescom, and it’s actually become one of my favorite games of all time.Now that I’ve had more time to dig into it, I’ve noticed that my first impression was indeed spot-on, but I also feel that it could have been fine-tuned to make it a must-have
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Promenade (meaning “to walk” in French) is a 2D side-scrolling platformer that takes us on a fantastic journey with the young protagonist Nemo and his companion, a small pink octopus, as they Find a way to climb the big elevator to the top in a world of tiny creatures, bright colors and memories. One can immediately conclude that what we are experiencing is a journey through a child’s imagination, with some dark undertones, but apart from a few specific scenes, the entire “ride” takes place among clouds, cushions, toys and colors Among colorful, beautiful and friendly landscapes.
It’s an odd comparison to make against the genre’s 3D exponents, but there’s a lot of Super Mario 64 in Promenade. In order to ascend the Grand Elevator, you must retrieve fragments to repair the platforms you use to ascend level after level. This area of the elevator also serves as a hub between different layers or parts of Nemo’s memories, with fragments scattered there. Obtaining shards usually depends on collecting them by jumping and dodging enemies and falling through gaps to traverse an area, but other methods are by joining shards together through clever perspective puzzles, memory puzzles, or time trial challenges. I was talking about Super Mario 64 before, because in addition to the design of some of these tests, each test has its own name to track the count in Nemo’s album, similar to what you’d get in Peach’s Castle.
When collecting stars
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Promenade is also a fairly peaceful game, as our characters cannot die at any time. He can be weakened (we have a hit counter that decreases if we are hit by an on-screen enemy), but checkpoints are common so you won’t be broken by the general flow of the game, at least until you get to the boss fight That was the case before. The levels were a true test of skill, and we had to put everything we’d learned to the test, including double jumping, dodging and rolling, and using our octopus friends in a timely manner. You can tell these points are entrances to higher difficulty levels, but at the same time, each of these battles unlocks a new skill for the octopus, such as a hook to grab onto, which opens up shortcuts or new sections , where you can find more fragments.
So far, I have no objections, as it’s clear that Promenade is intended to be a light-hearted adventure that can be enjoyed by all audiences, but perhaps there are some underlying issues in achieving that goal that obscure a rich and colorful experience. The progression and complexity of experimenting and jumping quickly started to increase, and while the double-jump system for interacting with objects introduced in the tutorial (you have to grab the octopus first, which is central to movement and interaction with the environment) was generally smooth, I found I noticed more than once myself that the response time between button presses and in-game actions wasn’t as precise as I’d like it to be. It has no limitations, it doesn’t interrupt progression at any point, but in my opinion Promenade could have had a more comfortable pace without having to repeat so many parts due to inaccuracies. Fortunately, save point loading is nearly instant even on the Nintendo Switch version we used for review, so it’s not all bad.
Likewise, I understand the decision to be aware of contextual language and environmental puzzles was also made to support the narrative of Nemo’s story, but it’s easy to find yourself lost in some situations, especially since there’s no overarching map to access and you have to go back to the front section, open a new path with a new tool. There are Metroidvania elements, yes, but it’s not entirely necessary to get to the end credits as there are far more pieces than necessary, and this replayability suits those looking for a complete challenge.
But don’t let these lesser highlights mislead you. Promenade is a great game and I still find it as solid and engaging as when I first encountered it. If you’re interested in a platformer that’s different and offers extra puzzles, this is one you won’t want to miss when it launches on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch on February 23, 2024 One of the independent games.
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