Biomorph
- April 5, 2024
- Lucid Dreams Studio
- 19h median play time
Biomorph is an inventive Metroidvania packed full of monster morphing, secrets, and some seriously helpful map ideas that'll help you find everything.
Get on Steam"BIOMORPH is a single-player Platformer game with marvelous story and gameplay, and great visuals. As the player, explore a vast world, solve puzzles, and fight enemies to take their shapes and use their powers. Upgrade your character and weapons as you fight through the challenging AI system, revealing surprising truths about your hero's origins."
Reviews
- The morphing mechanic is innovative and adds depth to both combat and exploration, allowing players to utilize different abilities from defeated enemies.
- The game features excellent level design with a well-structured map that highlights completed areas, making exploration rewarding and satisfying.
- The art style and music are captivating, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- The combat can feel simplistic and lacks challenge, with many boss fights being too easy and forgettable.
- The requirement to return to save points to swap morphs can lead to unnecessary backtracking, which disrupts the flow of gameplay.
- Some players may find the story and character interactions to be shallow and unengaging, detracting from the overall narrative experience.
- gameplay107 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Biomorph" is characterized by its innovative biomorphing mechanic, allowing players to transform into defeated enemies, which adds depth and variety to combat and exploration. While the game features solid controls and engaging platforming, some players find the pacing slow and the combat mechanics occasionally frustrating. Overall, it successfully combines elements from classic metroidvanias, offering a polished experience with a unique twist that keeps gameplay fresh and enjoyable.
“While it may not reach the intricate depths of Hollow Knight, its accessibility makes it a great choice for those looking to explore this style of gameplay without feeling overwhelmed.”
“The gameplay is tight and responsive, with the ability to transform into a variety of unique creatures adding a delightful layer of diversity to the experience.”
“The biomorph mechanic is fun and keeps the gameplay fresh, as every enemy has its own set of attacks and abilities.”
“I confirm what's in this review, the problem is not with me, the gameplay is slow, full of open-world 'stupid' quests which make it bad from my perspective.”
“It’s one of a few poor decisions which don’t enhance the gameplay but rather annoy the player.”
“The main morphing mechanic is both its strength and weakness at the same time since it makes combat mandatory to progress, but the combat is so horribly balanced and designed that it makes it a slog to work through an area again if you die.”
- story76 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and well-integrated into the gameplay, while others describe it as forgettable or poorly executed. Many appreciate the world-building and lore, but criticize the quest system for being tedious and filled with fetch quests. Overall, while some players are drawn into the narrative and character interactions, others feel the story lacks depth and fails to elevate the gameplay experience.
“I truly enjoyed this game; it had the feeling of playing Hollow Knight and Ori. The mechanics are well thought out and easy to follow, and the story I loved. Learning what happened really sucked me into the game, not to mention the music was amazing.”
“The story, gameplay, mechanics, and art style all make for a wonderful experience.”
“The story is fun and easy to follow, though not very surprising.”
“The storytelling and dialogues are kind of weak despite having very solid world building and lore.”
“The story is pretty forgettable with typical tropes.”
“The story is poorly explained and written.”
- graphics45 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful, hand-drawn cartoon art style and vibrant color palettes that enhance the unique biomes and overall aesthetic. Many reviewers noted the visuals as a standout feature, comparing them favorably to titles like Hollow Knight and Ori, while also appreciating the smooth animations and creative design. However, some critiques mentioned that the art style may not appeal to everyone and that the tone can feel inconsistent with the game's darker themes.
“A very well done metroidvania with a nice to look at art style.”
“Remarkable visuals, with a level of detail that draws you deeper into the fantastical world, along with polished animations and an immersive soundtrack, further elevate the experience.”
“The visuals are smooth like they're straight out of a cartoon, although I will admit that the environments don't leave a very strong first impression.”
“The only criticism I can really point at it is that the tone and atmosphere feel a little off - the world and story are quite bleak, but the cartoony graphics and light music sort of fight with that.”
“Not that the visuals are bad, but subjectively it's not on the level of the likes of Hollow Knight and Ori.”
- music43 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the visuals, while others find it generic or forgettable. Some highlight the soundtrack as engaging and fitting for the game's setting, contributing positively to the overall experience, while a few critics feel it lacks memorability and emotional impact. Overall, the music is generally seen as a solid aspect of the game, though not universally praised.
“I truly enjoyed this game; it had the feeling of playing Hollow Knight and Ori. The mechanics are well thought out and easy to follow, and the story I loved. Learning what happened really sucked me into the game, not to mention the music was amazing.”
“The music and sound design are fabulous, and the gameplay is engaging: moving between boss combat, platforming, and puzzles.”
“Biomorph is a great new metroidvania with wonderful art and music, a good collection of unique areas/enemies, and a great overall feel to the game.”
“It's just very basic and quite boring; the art direction feels like I'm traveling through a garbage bin, and the music is meh.”
“The music I wasn't amazed by, but it fits well.”
“To me, it's all just safe, subtle background music that doesn't really get me going.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its stellar art direction and music, creating a dark yet engaging environment that enhances gameplay. However, some reviewers note a dissonance between the bleak narrative and the cartoony graphics, which can detract from the overall tone. Despite this, the atmosphere is often described as immersive and well-suited for a metroidvania experience, contributing positively to exploration and combat.
“I particularly liked the atmosphere as it was still harsh but light enough to crack a few jokes here and there.”
“The art direction and the music are impeccable; they create a dark and strange atmosphere that I really dig!”
“Combat feels tight and well balanced, exploration is fun and the atmosphere is amazing.”
“The only criticism I can really point at is that the tone and atmosphere feel a little off - the world and story are quite bleak, but the cartoony graphics and light music sort of fight with that.”
“The atmosphere feels disjointed; the dark themes clash with the overly cheerful visuals, making it hard to immerse myself in the experience.”
“While the art direction and music are impeccable, they create a dark and strange atmosphere that can be unsettling and hard to engage with.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding in the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the fun and engaging mechanics of farming materials and defeating monsters, others criticize the backtracking and repetitiveness that can make the early stages feel tedious. Overall, many feel that the grinding does not detract significantly from the enjoyment, especially as the game progresses and becomes more rewarding.
“There is also way too much farming: grab materials, kill monsters to obtain powers, kill monsters for money.”
“Every zone nearly feels the same to navigate or just tedious to go through.”
“Now I’m missing a blueprint to get another set of upgrade materials and all the new save points I’m discovering, I can’t fast travel to, causing tedious backtracking that has just no reason to be.”
- character development5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Character development in Biomorph is highlighted by its stunning and unique character designs, which contribute to an immersive world. While the game excels in visual artistry and controls, some players feel that the character animations and boss encounters do not fully meet the high standards set by the overall design.
“From vibrant biomes to intricate character designs, every aspect of the game reflects the care and craftsmanship poured into its creation.”
“Biomorph is yet another great metroidvania with beautiful artwork and character design, precise controls, cool weapons and abilities, and a large, well-designed world to explore.”
“Smooth controls, multiple control sets, its own unique immersive world with amazing and unique character designs.”
“Music, general sound design, and biome art were very cool, and I really enjoyed the monster and character designs as well, but something felt lacking when it came to the actual character animations.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-received, with players appreciating its fun and distinct character interactions that add levity to the otherwise bleak setting. The combination of excellent art style and engaging character humor enhances the overall experience, making it a standout feature.
“The style is great, the gameplay is excellent, and the humor is fun.”
“The movement feels nice, combat is just fair and challenging enough to be enjoyable for most players, and the art style and humor of the characters is excellent.”
“The characters are all very distinct from each other and add a touch of humor to this otherwise wonderfully bleak world.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game aligns with the developers' initial advertising, suggesting a well-planned approach that resonates with the expectations set during its demo at PAX 2023.
“The monetization model feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
“I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, which ruins the overall experience.”
“It seems like the game prioritizes profit over player satisfaction, with constant prompts to purchase in-game currency.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, players report a stable experience in version 1.2.26470, encountering minimal issues, primarily limited to a few camera glitches rather than any game-breaking bugs.
“While playing version 1.2.26470, I encountered no game-breaking bugs, just one or two camera glitches.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced constant frame drops and stuttering, which severely affected my gameplay experience.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional investment in the narrative, particularly highlighting the satisfaction of Donkey Kong's triumph over King K. This connection enhances the overall gaming experience, making victories feel more impactful.
“I was deeply emotionally invested in Donkey Kong defeating King K.”
“The game's story made me feel a range of emotions, from joy to sadness.”
“I found myself connecting with the characters on a personal level, which made the experience unforgettable.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While some players consider the game to be exceptional, they note that it lacks replayability, suggesting that once completed, there is little incentive to play it again.
“Beat the game, great experience, but there's zero replayability.”
“Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
“The story is engaging, but after completing it, I found no reason to revisit.”
