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(Image credit: Adventure Works)
It’s been equal parts fascinating and off-putting to see cliffside climbing and similar parkour platforming spread across games like Uncharted, God of War, Horizon, and plenty of non-PlayStation Studios action-adventure-y things. Stellar Blade comes to mind. These weren’t the first games to climb, obviously, but it feels like a specific approach and flow has been popularized in the past decade and change. I swear I recognize some of the same rocks.
This stuff works well enough, and it’s decent environmental glue, but it can be so dreadfully passive, devoid of skill expression or risk or frankly any exciting movement. Just nudge the analog stick and watch the hero have what we can charitably describe as all the fun. In a pinch, hit the jump button. It’sfine,but it’s notfun, and for my money the more fun a game can pack in, the better. So – and here’s me finally getting on with it – I was inordinately pleased with the minor climbing bits in theSteam Next Festdemo for 2.5D platformerAri Buktu and the Anytime Elevator, which adds just a little bit of spice to rocky outcrops that makes all the difference.
(Image credit: Adventure Works)
Ari Buktu is billed as a single-player comedy adventure, and its style – hovering Rayman limbs loosely attached to simple characters navigating bright and chunky environments – makes a lot more sense when you realize the lead designer, Jeffrey Ashbrook, is a former ride engineer of WaltDisneyImagineering. I have to wonder if Ashbrook also looked at the climbing in Uncharted and thought that could probably be more fun. Because Ari Buktu gives climbing a bit of rhythm: move to the next handhold at just the right time and protagonist Ari will move a little faster. That’s it! That’s basically all I wanted; something active, a little more doing and a little less watching. Lo and behold, the climbing bits are more fun. Job done. I still think Ratchet & Clank does this stuff far better than anyone, but I’ll take it.
The short demo is a solid little romp through ancient Egypt, one of 13 planned levels for what seems like a delightfully compact platformer rooted in time travel shenanigans. The 2.5D perspective gets a bit weird at times – holding left sometimes transitions into moving right – but the jump, double jump, and grappling hook feel pretty good, which puts us solidly in the black for a platformer. Tonally, it seems somewhere in the realm of the Lego games – kid-friendly, but fun for anyone – which works just fine for me. I’m down for new platformers on any day that ends in Y, and Ari Buktu’s Disney ride DNA seems like a good pairing.
I see what the creator of Balatro meant: this pachinko roguelike’s Steam Next Fest demo is dangerously hard to put down.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”