Sunblaze

Sunblaze is one of those games that will hit well with a certain audience: those who love difficult platforming, and in particular, the rush of making through levels quickly with simple yet refined controls. It's a game that wears the influence of games like Celeste and others on its sleeve with its specific movement, and in that area it does well. Granted, it's a game that is difficult with precision jumps and needing to master several finite moves in a row, but the consistency of the controls helps the game immensely. Good level variety helps in all the different types of difficulty that the game tests you on. Add in some good visual indicators and you've got something that will keep your attention over 4-5 hours to beat the main set of levels. The issue Sunblaze runs into is how its press material ties it to Celeste, and how it falls short in other areas that Celeste excelled in. The game's story is basic but doesn't have the epicness or even the content in which Celeste had, and you're left wanting more as the limited characters and interactions just don't do enough for those who really need story to drive them along. In addition, the setting and level design doesn't build a world and feels more like a gameplay challenge: and it doesn't help that the music is ok, but never excels it enough to really stand out. The game's want for accessibility is admirable and there's good accessibility here, but it also comes at a cost as certain information about when accessibility was used can make it frustrating for time based recording and the like. It's solid, but it's also a game that isn't going to do it for those who are just novices or intermediates in the platforming genre: it's for those who want a challenge, speedrunners, and those who just really like platforming. Otherwise, it's a good game that you can wait on.