LOVE
- November 8, 2013
- Fred Wood
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Get on itch.io Store"LOVE is a challenging single-player platformer game with a reductive design and retro aesthetic. Its stellar mechanics include a customizable respawn system and various gameplay modes, while wonderful visuals and a marvelous soundtrack bring the levels to life. With replayability through leaderboards, achievements, and a level creation feature, LOVE offers a rich and competitive experience."
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Reviews
- Challenging yet fair gameplay with a unique respawn point mechanic that allows players to set their own checkpoints.
- Simple, charming retro graphics and an excellent soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Multiple game modes, including YOLO and Speedrun, provide replayability and cater to different play styles.
- Very short game length, typically completed in under an hour, which may leave players wanting more content.
- Controls can feel imprecise at times, leading to frustrating deaths that may detract from the experience.
- Lack of a save feature or level editor limits the game's depth and potential for user-generated content.
- music214 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its catchy, atmospheric quality that enhances the overall experience. Many players appreciate the variety of tracks that fit well with the distinct levels, although some note that the music can become repetitive due to short loops and re-used themes. Overall, the soundtrack is often highlighted as a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's nostalgic and immersive feel.
“The soundtrack is superb and gives the game a feeling of depth and meaning.”
“Great music that fits each level with ease, and sends a calming vibe to the player.”
“The music is beautiful and the visuals are easily one of the better examples of retro graphics out there.”
“The only real issue I had with the game is that the music can get quite repetitive since multiple tunes are reused on several levels, and they are also a rather short loop.”
“Every time you beat a level, the music abruptly stops and switches to another song instead of fading into the next one.”
“Turns out the rest of the music is nothing like the one in the trailer.”
- graphics95 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Love" are characterized by a minimalist, retro aesthetic that pays homage to classic Atari and 8-bit games, featuring simple pixel art and monochromatic designs. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and well-designed levels, others feel the visuals lack detail and can appear dull or overly simplistic, potentially detracting from the overall experience. Despite mixed opinions on the graphical fidelity, many agree that the art style complements the gameplay and enhances the game's nostalgic appeal.
“The graphics absolutely transport me back to the days of the Commodore 64, but the gameplay is more fluid and modern in feel.”
“Each level is amazingly designed, the graphics are so simple yet just mesmerizing.”
“Fantastic old-school graphics and soundtrack.”
“Personally, I would not recommend this for those who like 'style' in their platformers, as even the attention to detail with the limitations of these retro graphics don't do enough to make it visually interesting. Perhaps it's the constant black void that could've been filled in with simple details to add to the overall experience.”
“The focus on the graphics could have done with further improvements by replacing the black void with subtle details to give more 'life' to the levels instead of feeling empty and subpar.”
“However, they don't take the aesthetic far enough so the graphics manage to look more boring and cheaply made instead of retro.”
- gameplay88 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Love" is characterized by its tight controls and simple mechanics, making it an engaging platformer for short play sessions. While the level design is generally well-crafted and introduces unique mechanics, some players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth, particularly for those seeking a more immersive experience. Overall, it offers a nostalgic retro aesthetic and a solid challenge, appealing especially to speedrunners and fans of straightforward platforming.
“Love is an enjoyable retro-styled micro-platformer that has many varied mechanics and setups for the few levels it contains.”
“The gameplay feels pretty tight, and while the music is not VVVVVV levels of good, it's still pretty enjoyable.”
“Each level is perfectly crafted for the jumping mechanics, with enough challenge to keep you coming back for more!”
“Gameplay can quickly become repetitive for those who are looking to immerse themselves in the world of a platforming game, with little else to offer outside of strictly platforming.”
“For only 3 dollars, you get uninspired level design, very weak gameplay mechanics, and only a total of 24 levels, 8 of those being only 'kind of' levels.”
“Most of the levels are fairly by-the-numbers explorations of a single mechanic, using mostly horizontal platforms.”
- replayability30 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability through various modes such as speedruns, yolo challenges, and a ranking system that encourages players to improve their times and scores. While the main playthrough is relatively short, the inclusion of achievements and different difficulty modes enhances its replay value, making it a fun and engaging experience for those who enjoy mastering levels. Overall, players appreciate the game's focus on replayability, despite its brief initial duration.
“The game puts a big focus on going back to speedrun or no-death the levels/game to encourage replayability, and it can be fun to do so.”
“What this game does right: - controls are tight - level design, for the most part - graphics that are reminiscent of the Atari era - high level of replay value through the ranking system, speedrun mode, and yolo mode.”
“The main game is relatively short, but the achievements and other game modes add to the replayability.”
“The lack of replay value could be very easily fixed by a level creator.”
“This is a game that exists for replayability's sake, so if you don't like that kind of thing, just don't even look into it. It's about 15-20 minutes for your first playthrough and even less for further playthroughs, and not worth it if you only plan to play it once.”
“However, it does have a decent amount of replayability due to speedruns and achievements.”
- story16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is largely criticized for its complete lack of a traditional narrative, with many reviewers noting that there is no story to follow. However, some players appreciate this absence, finding it allows for personal interpretation and imagination while playing. Overall, the game's eerie presentation and engaging mechanics somewhat compensate for the missing storyline.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“Game is without a story, but that makes it special to create and imagine your own story for yourself while playing.”
“But I can show you the story!”
“There is no story.”
“If you're looking for a story, this doesn't have one.”
“In fact, there is no story.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a captivating blend of minimalist visuals and an engaging soundtrack, creating an enigmatic and immersive experience. While the platforming elements are challenging yet enjoyable, the overall ambiance may not appeal to those seeking a more expansive exploration of beauty. The combination of simple pixel art and varied music effectively enhances the game's atmospheric quality.
“What really makes the game special is the way it combines somewhat difficult platforming with atmospheric music.”
“I have to add that the soundtrack is also fantastic, helping to maintain a fascinating, enigmatic atmosphere alongside the deliberately minimal visuals.”
“This game is oozing with a minimalist atmosphere.”
“I have to add that the soundtrack is also pretty fantastic, and helps maintain a fascinating, enigmatic atmosphere alongside the deliberately minimal visuals.”
“This game is oozing with minimalist atmosphere.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky pixelated character design and amusing moments throughout gameplay. Players appreciate the combination of simple mechanics and a lighthearted atmosphere, enhanced by a variety of music that complements the game's comedic elements. Overall, the game's visual style and character design contribute to its charm and fun.
“Simple, short but fun platformer game with a neat and funny-looking pixelated character; the variety of music gives the game a good atmosphere.”
“You really do have to admire the blank, black backgrounds, solid color obstacles, square pixel-like objects, and a stick character with a funny-looking head.”
“Nice game with funny moments.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding experience to be somewhat tedious, particularly due to repetitive audio and visuals that lose their charm after extended play. However, the option to disable certain elements offers some relief from the monotony.
“Continually hearing the same sounds while grinding for the YOLO achievement was a bit grating, but you can always disable it.”
“While I loved the minimalistic retro visuals and the quite unique soundtrack at first, it became tedious by the 50th respawn.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game exhibits minor, non-gamebreaking glitches, indicating a generally stable experience with few disruptions to gameplay.
“There are minor, non-gamebreaking glitches that disrupt the experience.”
“The game suffers from frequent crashes that make it frustrating to play.”
“I encountered several stability issues that caused the game to freeze unexpectedly.”
