GBAtemp Recommends Revival # 027

[VatoLoco]

Welcome to the 27th issue of the GBAtemp Recommends Revival Project! This project is a weekly feature where we share our favorite games and applications with you. The things we recommend may be "old school" titles, a Homebrew, a ROM hack, sleeper hits, an application, etc, but one thing's for certain, we think they are fantastic and deserve your attention!

This issue has been written by GBAtemp community member [member='Rydian']

GBAtemp Recommends!

An Untitled Story​

What, it's not a jRPG this time? That's right, this entry is a platformer. "An Untitled Story" is a freeware game for the PC made with Game Maker, featuring hand-drawn graphics. While for many people that combination of factors spells out something to be avoided, I can assure you that this is one hell of a fun game. For those of you not familiar with the term "metroidvania", it's a term used to describe a platformer where exploration is a key act, and the main character tends to gain upgrades as the game goes on that allows them to explore more areas.

Exploration and learning things yourself is what this game is all about. This game has so many hidden sections that without a map you might not even find some levels your first time around, though depending on your selected difficulty most of the areas are not required in order to reach the final stage. Even within the visible areas, there's tons of little hiding places, and it's not uncommon to beat the game with less than a 30% collection rate. As this is a platforming game there's plenty of jumping puzzles, but thankfully the aggravating ones are generally kept to the more hidden areas and the main areas you'll go through in a normal-difficulty game aren't nearly as frustrating.

Keeping with the theme of letting you figure things out on your own, the mechanics run the same. Bosses rarely (if ever) show their weakpoint, though the tactics are pretty basic for the most part so you're never stuck trying to figure out how to attack. As far as player mechanics go, the only hints you get on how to use your abilities are contained in the text you see when you gain them, so one or two abilities may require some playing around in order to figure out how they will help you to advance. Remember that exploration is important, especially since the order you visit areas is nonlinear at times, and even major points to the storyline are held in secret areas.

As stated, the graphics are hand-drawn (save for the particle effects), which helps add to the run-down appearance of many of the areas. The music is varied and themed appropriately for each area, and although some tunes can get a little irksome by your 50th try to make it through a puzzle without taking damage, the majority of these tunes are well-done.

An Untitled Story is an excellent example of a game made with game maker by an indie developer. It shows how a minimalist approach to a game's art and story, while using proven gameplay aspects, can make for a game that's really fun to play. It is sure to keep you entertained for hours while you try to find all of the little secrets it holds. Give it a play and then let us know what you think about it!

Genre: Platformer
Type: Indy
Release Date: 08/26/2007
Developed by: Matt Thorson
System: Windows

If you enjoyed this weeks edition of GBAtemp Recommends! please leave a comment in the thread. This helps us monitor feedback and ensures we keep posting these articles in the future.

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[Mythrix]

This game is DIFFICULT! I think I started a playthrough on normal difficulty, and gave up near the end of the game because of long stretches of precision jump areas with walls lined with spikes so you can't touch either the floor, walls or roof. If I hadn't gotten so far in the game already I would've started the game on easy difficulty, but instead I think I just gave up and haven't played it for a year or so.

 

[Rydian]

Yeah I recommend playing it on simple for most people. XD