Sparklite
Released: November 14, 2019
Game Length: 12 hours
Grade: B-
Gameplay
Introduction: Sparklite is most definitely not a game widely talked about. I barely knew anything about it outside the 80% off deal on Steam. There was a bit of a Zelda feel for the game but the systems aren't quite intuitive enough to hold the content together. You will need to manually slot your equipment inside the menu interface for each item. It does not automatically swap to the next one when you run out. Since you also access your map by pausing the game, sliding between these categories slowly became a nuisance in my playthrough. While there are distinct areas to explore, the "dungeons" are more like one-room puzzles. Each area has their fair share of enemies and a boss that tests your reflexes.
People: At the heart of your character, there is a patch system. You place upon a tile board a select number of upgrades for your damage, energy, defense, health, and various things to assist in exploring the map. You can either obtain the basic ones within the world or buy them outright at the base. One thing that helps greatly is to find "beats" within the world. You'll receive rare gold patches, instead of trying to combine lower ones, after retrieving a certain percentage. While building your character is important for those difficulty spikes, there isn't too much to do when constructing your base. You can obtain an item, even the passive revive one, by upgrading one wing. Another one will allow you to deal more damage to an enemy of your choice. There are a series of interesting mini-games like trying to make the right choice between three chests, finding two adventures (each in a different area) for map upgrades, or racing a member to a marked spot. Unfortunately, there are also some strange bugs that can prevent them from functioning correctly in the game.
Weapons: From the very start, your primary attacks will consist of a simple swing or charging an earth-shattering pound with your hammer. However, each district will allow you to explore a tutorial dungeon for a new form of auxiliary equipment. Unlike your general tools, these are mainly used for making progress in the game. Ones like the shrink machine are passively used whenever you see a pipe. Others can be applied on your little robot friend to light up the room or clean up gunk. However, your choices of actual combat-ready weapons boil down to using a rapid-firing short range crossbow, a charging mid range gun, or a long range laser. Instead of simply providing the item, you will need to pay a fee for room at the workshop and construct your weapon back at the base. This generates a weird need to head back that only presents itself after you lose all your health or defeat a boss.
Mechanics: There is no way to jump in the game. You have a very short distance dash that functionally places you a few tiles over. You cannot move while performing it and the game only "sets you down" after you complete the animation. This caused some awkward moments where it looked like I was on a moving platform but ultimately fell into a hole. You do not slowly replenish your health or energy but there are methods that will help restore them. The only time you can change your stat grid is from the device on the station (though you can see what you have slotted anytime from the main menu). If you are defeated, you get to keep your currency but lose your items. Enemies will respawn in the world when you enter a dungeon or new region. The final boss not only includes a challenging fight but a gauntlet of enemies. I'd be more content with how it ended if the game didn't bug and bounce me outside the bounds of the game after spending a decent amount of time collecting items beforehand.
Summary
Review: There is very little memorable about this game. The bugs might have not ruined my experience but they definitely hindered my progress. Accessing your main menu every time you wanted to switch out your equipment became monotonous. It would have probably been possible to complete the whole game in one playthrough if it wasn't for the artificial jumps in difficulty and the trivial need to head back to the base for every single upgrade. However, the environment is very nicely designed and there is at least some substance to the story. There is no need to trouble yourself for this game unless you have exhausted your supply of available adventure games.
7-4-2023