MAY 23, 2024
Gamedev, Platformers, Taking Notes
<aside> 📒 “We Are Eva” is a precision platformer about teleporting between two versions of a level. Neatly polished and with a handful of fresh ideas. Kind of scoped-down Celeste.
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It feels like you get a simpler version – and, honestly, at times it’s really appreciated. Plus, it’s not purely a difficulty mechanic – you also get some tweaks on the same idea, pushing you to learn the “lesson” of the level, rather than purely memorizing the moves. Importantly, the differences aren’t that big to be jarring.
The game asks you to collect two “rifts” and proceed to exit – but only one “rift” is required to finish the level. If the player feels overwhelmed, it’s relatively easy to “skip” the level – and, otherwise, the challenge is here. If anything, I’d add the third, extra complicated thing in the initial levels.
There are a bunch of worlds, and each has a gimmick (limited light, bigger jump, some really creative bits) – and every level has two of those and expects that you'd hope between them to proceed. It's pretty neat: not often do your fingers need to memorize new mechanics in a platformer.
“STOP INTERRUPTING ME!” – the protagonist breaks the fourth wall and acknowledges the player’s action. Which is great! Interaction happens at the start/reset of the level – which is probably the right choice, as small levels don’t have the space for cutscenes or responsiveness of a Super Giant game.
The character is charismatic enough, self-assured, and brash (is this called “tsundere”?)