Flying, oh, oh: an ability that seems almost banal in video games, but that in reality few developers have known how to implement well, giving the sensation of really floating in the air, caressing the currents, crossing the clouds and touching trees and buildings while It is projected at full speed along a shady valley with dreamlike and fairy tale atmospheres.
These few words are enough to give a fairly precise idea of the latest experience created by Snowman, downloadable for free by Netflix subscribers on iOS and Android: an adventure full of inspiration and freedom, in which we will have the opportunity to discover a completely new world thanks to a cape that works like a prodigious wingsuit.
Have we intrigued you? Then she continues reading ours. review of Laya's horizon.
Structure: between open world and missions
The island that serves as the backdrop to Horizonte de Laya is a fascinating mix of peaks and valleys that its inhabitants (the "wind people") have learned to explore by wearing special layers that allow you to slide from one point on the map to another, taking advantage of updrafts and turbulence to possibly gain altitude and gain extra thrust.
The protagonist of the adventure is Laya, a novice girl with a wingsuit. After completing a short tutorial, we will be awarded one. almost complete exploratory freedom, encouraging us to enter areas of the stage still shrouded in mystery to unlock new landing and exit points: to do this, simply fly to the places marked by a "bubble", after which the character will land there automatically.
The progression of the campaign, however, is linked to the most classic of achievement systems: little by little we will be proposed new tasks to complete (for example, flying near a certain number of houses or swooping down a certain number of meters). ) and by completing them you will level up, thus obtaining new capes and new items through which to vary the mechanisms underlying experience.
L'open world Laya's Horizon seems quite large and varied, there are dozens of characters to interact with and possibly compete with, as well as places to discover: an approach that suits mobile games perfectly, allowing us to fly around for short sessions or dedicate more time to our explorations , depending on the occasion.
Gameplay: Really fly
As mentioned at the beginning, fly It's a skill that video game characters often possess, but that few developers have been able to convey well on screen. Thanks to a really simple and inspired control system, the guys at Snowman managed to achieve this goal and it will only take them a few minutes to understand how to pilot the cape, although more complex maneuvers require a bit of practice.
Is how we move our thumbs on the touch screen: Once we have jumped from a height, we can move Laya's arms to turn slightly or tilt her entire body to make a more decisive curve, dive or climb, accelerate using the sparks collected up to that moment (rewards for grazing passages) or open the cape to stop the descent and combine all these actions in various ways.
Technical achievement: style to spare
The technical sector contributes significantly to making Laya's Horizon an attractive and enjoyable experience. Thanks to the elegant graphics in shading, which on the iPhone 14 Pro moves very fluidly (despite showing some slowdowns in the most intricate sequences) and which, in general, conveys the feeling of great artistic maturity of the team.
Areas of the island have different characteristics and colors, making exploring the map truly evocative. is however the Sonoro to provide that extra bit of inspiration to the effects of the setting, thanks to a mix of sounds, music and effects that together are absolutely convincing, and that are undoubtedly worth listening to with headphones.
Conclusions
Tested version iPhone digital delivery app store, Google Play Price Free Holygamerz.com 8.5 Readers (7) 6.6 your voteLaya's Horizon undoubtedly stands as one of the most interesting mobile games in recent years, as well as a very valuable addition to the Netflix catalog. We have often talked about how the investments made by the streaming platform in projects for iOS and Android have managed to change the scenario a bit, and Snowman's latest effort clearly demonstrates that it is money well spent. If you're a subscriber, run - or rather, fly - to download the game: you'll probably love it at the first breath of wind.
PRO
- Artistically wonderful
- The flight is depicted almost perfectly.
- An open world full of content
AGAINST
- Some frame rate uncertainty to fix
