Mindless monsters roam the depths of the Undercity - a hostile, sprawling, interconnected, semi-open-world environment. Nakawak (a skeleton comprised of an odd assortment of bones) is unique. He has had an awakening. He has found a sense of self. Alone in a hostile world filled with monstrous beings, Nakawak knows his purpose: Defeat the Three Beasts and the Seal will fail, opening the way to the surface and freedom . . . Explore! Power Up! Escape! NAKAWAK is a retro game displaced in time.
Nakawak is an utterly gorgeous throwback to the 8 bit retro games of yore,specifically the original Nintendo Gameboy games.From the authentic gameboy visuals to the retro chiptune soundtrack,this Metroidvania captures the look and feel of the classic handheld console games flawlessly.
Nakawak starts with our protagonist a little skull creature (that resembles the bony remains of a dog bred with a ram/goat) finding itself in the dark and dingy Undercity armed only with a firearm initially, to defend itself from the hideous monstrosities that inhabit this dead and decaying place.Nakawak,fragile and weak,knows it's purpose,afterall he had an awakening of sorts and must now defeat the Three Beasts that roam these cursed halls to lift the Seal once and for all.
Nakawak is a Metroidvania through and through.The world is open from the start but certain sections are only accessed after gaining specific abilities.There are various health upgrades and ammunition upgrades to be found throughout the world.The various abilities are well hidden and you need to have a keen eye to find them.There are generous amount of save points strewn throughout the levels.If you'd played any of the classic Metroid games you'd feel right at home with its gameplay systems.
The various enemy characters are well designed and lovingly animated.The boss characters are the best in terms of design.In Nakawak the boss fights don't test your reflexes that much,instead they are more like puzzles where you need to watch their movement patterns and plan your moves accordingly.If you try to run and gun the boss characters, you'd have a frustating time with Nakawak but that's not the game's fault.The three boss fights that the game has are well tuned and are strong highlights of an already expertly designed game.
Nakawak is a well balanced game when it comes to the difficulty.Veterans of the old school retro games will feel right at home with the difficulty the game offers.But gamers who are alienated from the genre might find it difficult.Old school games were meant to be hard and were meant to kick your butt several hundred times and then some more and Nakawak is no different.But in difficulty lies its appeal so yeah don't expect any handholding here.It's brutal for sure but it's beautiful.
The controls to me are what makes a good game,great.This is where Nakawak shines.The controls felt super responsive when playing with a keyboard.There is almost zero lag from the moment a button is pressed to the consequent response of the in game character.As a result the platforming sections feel great.Adding to the fun is the little blips and bloops sound effects that accompanies the character's jumping.
The retro chiptune soundtrack is glorious and befits the world Nakawak is trapped in.It starts off sounding ominous and then it shifts tone in the middle with a beautiful melancholic track.It's almost as if Nakawak doesn't want to leave the place which is hell bent on killing him,as it is the place where perhaps it was born,it is the place which is all he knew.Then it intensifies once again towards the end.
It took me around three hours the first time around beating the game and the second playthrough was roughly around the two and half hour mark.I still haven't found all the secrets and upgrades.There is a color version in the works which promises more content and I'm looking forward to it eagerly.
Nakawak is a work of love and retro gaming aficionados are in for a treat.Go dive in,The Undercity awaits...