Among the many themes covered in video games, introspection, a journey into the psyche divided between memories, fears, nightmares and hopes, has become increasingly popular in recent months. Creating a story that leads you to empathize with the characters is not easy, but many developers have taken this path to bring the player increasingly original stories that focus on solving even those problems that sometimes seem insurmountable.
By Digital Games before bed It was undoubtedly easier, thanks to the success of the first chapter of what is now in every respect a saga, which is once again in the spotlight with Figment 2: Creed Valley. In this adventure we once again assume the role of Dusty, the embodiment of the courage of the Mind, accompanied once again by the friendly Piper, a trusted companion on dangerous missions in the midst of nightmares and worries.
In this Figment 2: Creed Valley review We tell you how we returned to explore the Mind, once again prey to anguish and torment capable of creating true monsters with which to fight to regain serenity. But don't worry if you haven't played the first Figment; This chapter is self-contained and welcomes new players with open arms while offering some gifts to loyal fans.
Open or closed mind?
In this adventure we assume the role of Dusty, who represents courage, willing to fight against the nightmares that take over the Mind, accompanied this time also by Piper. The latter, in Figment 2: Creed Valley, is not limited to offering emotional support to our character but becomes a playable character through the introduction of local cooperative, one of the most important novelties of the title.
As in the previous chapter we find ourselves in Creed Valley, a fantastic representation of the human mind inhabited by Opinions, fun puppets to interact with, and unfortunately a land in which nightmares and fears also threaten in the form of monsters to fight. As we have already anticipated, Figment 2: Creed Valley is an independent chapter and the story told is not linked to that of the first Bedtime Digital Games game; This way you can embark on this adventure without fear of having missed something important.
Although the mind we find ourselves in belongs to another man, this time dealing with too many work and family discussions about economic capabilities, the gameplay remains faithful to Figment, putting us in hand-to-hand combat with Nightmare and his minions and from environmental environments. . Puzzles to solve in order to overcome the different game areas. To bring a breath of fresh air, in Figment 2: Creed Valley we were able to play with the possibility of opening or closing the Mind to our liking, a mechanic capable of animating the game world.
This mechanism is the fulcrum of the entire experience, capable of changing the scenario by unlocking blocked paths and capable of changing Opinions, which will modify their opinion helping us continue towards the bosses. To maintain the Rhythm In a close game, the change between open or closed mentality can be operated using specific buttons spread across the game map, which we were able to activate at will without having to resort to complicated control schemes. Furthermore, this change of perspective does not affect the story in any way but is an opportunity to interact with the Opinions and discover the different changes of opinion on the topics present in the game, such as social networks or music for example.
At the time of music
In addition to maintaining puzzle solving, the nightmare fights at the end of each level also remain unchanged in structure and only the creature to fight changes. The peculiarity of boss fights in Figment 2: Creed Valley lies in the music, and by music we don't just mean the background during combat. In fact, nightmare attacks are synchronized by Rhythm of the song they sing, which offers another method of predicting their movements.
Also in this second chapter, the clashes with Nightmare they are excellently done without ever falling into extreme difficulty but only requiring good reflexes to dodge attacks and deliver blows with our wooden sword at the right moment. This assessment can also be extended to puzzles and riddles, even more complex than Figment, but never capable of making us fall into frustration when solving them.
In these two aspects, the progress made by the developers, capable of doing it, is more noticeable. progression is more stimulating of the adventure without raising the difficulty bar too much. The flow of the game flows smoothly, letting us enjoy the narrative and our path to bring peace to the mind clouded by the small and big problems that life sometimes throws at us.
A fantasy brain
Creed Valley essentially represents the human brain, more elegantly called Mind in the game, but obviously designed in a fantastical, cartoonish way. The style of the game's maps strongly reflects what we saw in the first chapter, but thanks to a greater presence of puzzles, the areas we traversed were more artistically complex and rich in detail, creating a charming environment between pastel colors and imaginative objects.
Although appreciable for their originality, the color pattern and overall settings sometimes become repetitive, with the true change of scenery occurring only at the end of the game's key levels. This does not affect the enjoyment on the screen but only determines a lack of variety that clashes with the great work done in the multiple types of puzzles that Figment 2: Creed Valley is capable of offering.
Once you're familiar with the environment, it's pretty intuitive how to proceed toward the end of the area; Unfortunately, this didn't offer any big puzzle surprises even in the later stages, just faster resolution given the mastery absorbed in earlier levels.
Free your Mind
Dusty and Piper's purpose is adjust the moral compass of the man protagonist of this story, and in doing so we find ourselves reflecting on the themes that this game decided to bring to the screen. It's very easy to be fooled by the playful appearance of Figment 2: Creed Valley, so full of colors, cute puppets and singing bosses, but beneath this cartoonish veneer there is much more than meets the eye.
Through memories, which can be unlocked by continuing the adventure, the difficulties that the man faces are shown, from family fights to absences due to too much work, real situations that could afflict anyone. In Figment 2: Creed Valley, in addition to showing how problems can become nightmares that cloud our mood and judgment, there is also the courage to know how to face them and restore peace and tranquility to life.
Bedtime Digital Games has therefore also found the right thing in this second chapter. balancing about how to approach particular themes without sinking into something extremely serious and always keeping in the foreground the lightness of the gameplay with which it was created.
Conclusions
Tested version PC with Windows digital delivery Steam Holygamerz.com 7.5 Readers (6) 7.9 your voteFigment 2: Creed Valley makes simplicity its strong point, maintaining an already proven game formula, without allowing risks that could have compromised the balance of the game. Despite more attention to environmental puzzles and boss battles, the game flows fluidly without encountering frustrating impediments, allowing us to discover the story that Bedtime Digital Games wanted to tell us without interruptions. Dusty and Piper's adventure confronted us with some important themes while maintaining a playful spirit capable of making the approximately six hours of gameplay that were necessary to complete it enjoyable. Unfortunately, in the end, not having ventured something new weighs on the overall experience, which remains pleasant but without particular creative flashes.
PRO
- The gameplay is nice and light.
- There is a good variety of puzzles and bosses.
- The topics addressed invite reflection.
AGAINST
- Some areas are aesthetically repetitive.
- The puzzles and boss fights are too easy.
