Produced by the creative team of the same name and distributed by Team17, Planet Alpha is the colossal result of a Danish triad composed of Adrian Lazar (Creative director, CEO & co-founder), Tim Løye Skafte (3d art & animation) e Tim Börrefors (Level design). What came out of their work is a lively and aesthetically suggestive experience, fast-paced and visually fabulous. Yet another exponent of implicit fiction, Planet Alpha it does not have a single line of dialog. Everything that moves on the screen is enough to tell the incredible adventures of the protagonist, a little astronaut who woke up in an indefinite corner of a seemingly arid planet. After the first limping steps, a luxuriant landscape full of life will unfold before us with surprise. A remarkable glance, which will accompany us throughout the journey, confirming the goodness of a state of the art visual sector.
The adventure on Planet Alpha begins with an awakening: not one of the most pleasant for the unfortunate protagonist, since he finds himself on an unknown alien world. Alone, wounded and tired, the thin astronaut sets off aimlessly in the hope of being able to survive on what appears to be an inhospitable planet. After a slow walk of a few minutes, while the names of the developers scroll on the screen, the poor cosmonaut collapses to the ground, deeply tried, just when the last spark of life is about to abandon him. It is the second awakening that officially starts the adventure. For unknown reasons, the astronaut managed to escape death, finding in a cave where there are testimonies of an ancient civilization. After exiting the cave, the spectacle that appears before him is extraordinary. The desert scenery has given way to a lush grassland populated by bizarre creatures and covered with surreal vegetation. The cosmonaut's journey to discover the mystery that surrounds the planet begins with a sudden explosion of colors, while the sounds of the animals accompany every step, dramatically increasing the identification of the player. The idyll, however, does not last long: an alien occupation force made up of robotic warriors sets off a full-scale invasion, devastating everything in their path. Devoid of offensive tools, the astronaut can rely on his slender and slender build to avoid direct confrontation with the attackers and avoid certain death.
Planet Alpha's audiovisual sector is particularly impressive, always inspired and constantly evocative. Alien landscapes draw heavily from early twentieth century science fiction works, where the charm of the unknown blends perfectly with the taste of the eccentric, while the sounds audible to the player overlap the vicissitudes of the unfortunate protagonist. The work is characterized by a maniacal realization of the design, in which the sound sector marries coherently with the atmosphere, marking the most important steps of the adventure.
Three souls coexist harmoniously within Planet Alpha: the platform nature, the stealth nature and the puzzle game nature, skilfully mixed in a balanced and never repetitive mix that immediately draws the player into the whirlwind adventure. The platform component is projected on all spatial levels, guaranteeing, in addition to the physiological horizontal extension of this kind of scrolling titles, also a certain verticality, amplified by the long slides along steep ridges and jumps into the void. Special mention for anomalies, special portals that catapult our protagonist into a dimension suspended between worlds, where the laws of gravity give way to what appears to all intents and purposes the antechamber of a black hole, with suspended blocks that rhythmically change position to create the path to the exit. Finding these anomalies guarantees a shortcut and a safe path to overcome the most difficult areas. If luck does not assist us, we will find ourselves forced to face robotic threats. Being particularly fragile and devoid of offensive tools, facing the invaders is impossible for our protagonist. Armed with photon lasers, the automata will take a moment to disintegrate in place. This unfortunate possibility requires caution, giving space to stealth mechanics, elementary but never banal. With an evasion system typical of games of yesteryear, between a targeted jump and an appropriate crouch in the tall grass, we will be able to overcome the tireless robotic sentinels reaching the next destination, supported by a well-positioned auto-save and always for protection. of our progress.
However, moving fast and alert will not always be enough. Here the most singular component of the title manifests itself, with puzzle-game sessions mainly composed of three macro-categories. The first sees the interaction with moving objects to be used to reach otherwise inaccessible stretches of the route. We will have to find a way to identify them, reach them and position them correctly, masking the linearity to the point of giving the impression of an almost entirely palpable and interactive world. The second involves solving mechanical puzzles, which will open doors and reveal new portions of the world. The third, the most peculiar of the title, provides special powers, initially limited to some specific areas and later freely usable, which manipulate the passage of time. In the PS4 version, the powers are entrusted to the dorsal triggers, allowing you to rewind or advance the day-night cycle, with consequent effect on the surrounding world. For example, large mushrooms will emerge at some points of the path that will provide a platform to jump on and continue on, while the sun's rays make the large leaves of some plants unfold, creating a temporary hiding place from the sight of robotic hounds. These powers will prove decisive in the boss fights that underpin the adventure, providing the little protagonist with a formidable weapon, the planet itself.
Too bad that an exceptional care of the artistic side the same work has not been followed for everything concerning the purely playful sphere. Where the assortment of settings is exceptional, Planet Alpha becomes predictable due to the variety of puzzles, very unconvincing. The puzzles we face are excessively simple, most of the puzzles are solved by dragging the self-propelled platforms that we encounter during the adventure, useful for reaching points positioned too high for the astronaut's jumping skills. All the puzzles are solved in this way, for the approximately 6 hours necessary to complete the game and view the credits.
Stealth sessions are characterized by a very high rate of deaths: the resulting trial 'n' error does not depend on the constant search for a solution, but on the schizophrenic behavior of the enemies. In some cases, in fact, they see us even if we are perfectly camouflaged in the flora of the alien world, in other situations they ignore us by refusing to follow us. In addition, it happens to die from certain not well-tested hitboxes. Fortunately, the checkpoints are cleverly placed, avoiding us having to retrace long sections after each death. This does not mean that the stealth sections are sometimes frustrating for reasons that have nothing to do with the player's abilities. The response times of the jump command will lead you to a series of game-overs in line with the most classic of trial 'n' error logics. While the problem is solved with a bit of habit, buffering not up to the fastest reflexes could easily irritate even the most patient gamer.
Net of these smudges, gameplay is undoubtedly one of the strengths of this game. The movements of the space explorer are convincing, always fluid, do not break the rhythm of the game in the least and contribute to making the experience, as a whole, particularly enjoyable. If you want to be meticulous, you could ask a little more in terms of longevity, but the product developed by the Danish software house demonstrates once again how varied and of great quality the indie scene is, offering a game experience, albeit particularly short, absolutely intense, full of twists and moments compelling. In conclusion, I strongly recommend buying this little one gem of creativity. The publisher Team17 can add another excellent title to his resume.
