Semblance Will Make Your Brain Hurt, But In a Good Way
It takes a lot for me to stand up and take notice of a new puzzle platformer. But that’s exactly what I did while playing the opening stages of Semblance from South African developer Nyamakop.
This colorful and vibrant entry to the genre flips platforming on its head by changing one key dynamic. Instead of merely jumping to and from each ledge, you actually manipulate the environment itself. Can’t quite reach an area? Simply jump into the platform from below to form a spike to climb on to access it. Can’t reach under a ledge to form a spike? No problem. Pound it into a valley that, when released, launches your character into the sky with elastic energy. These are only two examples of the way you can use the levels themselves to get from A to B.
It may have been that I was nervous in front of an audience, but Semblance made my brain hurt. Don’t take that as a negative, however. It takes some time to wrap your head around exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. After all, it’s a completely different approach to this style of game, and it will make your think in a completely different way. I genuinely love when games succeed in doing just that. Solving each puzzle gives an immense feeling of satisfaction, and I can’t wait to experience more when it releases on Switch, PC, and Mac later this year.
Check out the trailer for the game below. Also, you can hear me chat about the game on our “E3 2018 | Day One Recap” episode around the 33:48 mark.
