Saviorless
- April 2, 2024
- Empty Head Games
- 4h median play time
Saviorless is a dark, frightening, often sorrowful tale that took me a little while to get into and then held on tight for the duration.
Get on Steam"Saviorless" is a single-player platformer game with stunning hand-drawn graphics and animations, set in a dark fantasy world. As Antar, a determined child striving to become a Savior, players will navigate through a treacherous path to the forbidden Smiling Islands, overcoming various obstacles along the way. The game features dynamic gameplay with three playable protagonists, each with unique abilities and challenges. The atmospheric soundtrack and enigmatic landscapes add to the immersive experience of this narrative-driven platformer.
Reviews
- The game features stunning hand-drawn visuals and a captivating atmosphere that immerses players in a unique, dream-like world.
- Gameplay is simple yet enjoyable, allowing players to focus on the experience without the distraction of complex mechanics or skill trees.
- The narrative is intriguing and cryptic, offering multiple endings and a variety of gameplay elements that keep the experience fresh.
- The gameplay can feel overly simplistic at times, lacking challenge and depth, which may disappoint players seeking a more complex experience.
- Checkpoint placement can be frustrating, often forcing players to replay sections after dying, which can disrupt the flow of the game.
- The story, while interesting, is vague and leaves many questions unanswered, which may not satisfy all players.
- story39 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as intriguing yet vague, with a unique premise that ultimately falls short of delivering a satisfying conclusion. While the atmosphere, art style, and character design are praised, many players feel the narrative lacks clarity and depth, leaving some aspects feeling anticlimactic. Overall, the story is seen as a mixed bag—interesting and thought-provoking at times, but often confusing and underdeveloped.
“This is an excellent little story-driven platformer that's drenched in atmosphere.”
“Beautiful art and world, interesting characters, well-curated soundtrack, and fascinating and thought-provoking story.”
“The story, art style, and music all blend together to create a perfect atmosphere.”
“The biggest downside I have is that the story doesn't really deliver on its interesting premise, and both the endings are very anticlimactic and unsatisfying.”
“Was sort of expecting some kind of payoff but honestly the story was not that interesting.”
“Great visuals but confusing story.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally described as simple yet enjoyable, with beautiful visuals and a unique atmosphere that enhance the experience. While some players appreciate the straightforward mechanics and well-designed puzzles, others find them too simplistic and lacking depth, leading to potential boredom. Overall, the game features a mix of engaging action moments and creative elements that keep players captivated, despite some criticisms regarding the clarity of the narrative and the execution of certain mechanics.
“Simple yet enjoyable gameplay is driven by striking visuals and unique atmosphere.”
“The gameplay is simple, but good; the art and music are stellar; and the narrative is compelling, though admittedly hard to follow the first time around.”
“The mechanics are simple but well utilized, the game moves through its scenes fast enough that no gimmick has the chance to grow stale.”
“However, the actual gameplay mechanics of this game are not worth the hassle or price tag.”
“I could forgive that, but the actual mechanics were so simple.”
“Not that the combat is clunky or anything, but the mechanics are quite punishing due to imposed time limits and swarms of enemies.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and unique art style, creating a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the striking visuals and hand-drawn elements, which contribute to the game's appeal, despite some noting minor visual glitches. Overall, the combination of stunning graphics and a well-crafted environment makes it a visually impressive title, even if the story may not resonate with everyone.
“Beautiful soundtrack and gorgeous art style; it's kind of short but well worth the time and effort.”
“The hand-drawn graphics are one of the largest appeals to this game, and they help to enthrall the player in the world that Saviorless presents them with.”
“Such a wonderful art style, such a great atmosphere; it is simply unique!”
“If you like the art style and want to kill about 3 hours, maybe buy it on deep discount.”
“Nonetheless, 'dark' does not describe the visuals.”
“I didn't really enjoy the story and I don't like that art style much, but the atmosphere was still enjoyable anyway.”
- music19 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its dynamic and immersive qualities. The soundtrack is described as magnificent and progression-based, effectively complementing the beautiful art and engaging gameplay. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's emotional depth and ambiance.
“The graphics are beautiful, the soundtrack is magnificent, the gameplay is simple but it's mostly for design choice rather than boring, the platforming and puzzles are well thought out and can feel challenging at times, overall it's a good game.”
“The animations are goddamn beautiful, and the soundtrack is progression-based and fantastic!”
“The atmosphere is out of this world, thanks to the enchanting music and stunning design.”
“Music adds to a gloomy atmosphere.”
“Most of the environmental art is too clean for my liking with its geometric design, but I found myself immersed despite that, thanks to the solid atmosphere created by dynamic music and animated elements in the background.”
“The music and overall atmosphere were also a highlight.”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its striking visuals, unique art style, and immersive music, creating a captivating experience that enhances the gameplay. Reviewers note the blend of bright and grim elements, contributing to a rich emotional landscape that draws players in, even if they may not enjoy other aspects like the story or art style. Overall, the atmospheric design is considered a standout feature, making the game worth experiencing.
“I would say this is the best part of the experience: the atmosphere and visual design.”
“The story, art style, and music all blend together to create a perfect atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is out of this world, thanks to the enchanting music and stunning design.”
“I didn't really enjoy the story and I don't like that art style much, but the atmosphere was still enjoyable anyway.”
“Music adds to a gloomy atmosphere.”
“Still though the game is worth experiencing for the story and the atmosphere, in no small part due to the artistry on display.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers praise the character development for its superb designs, highlighting the inspiring combination of grand landscapes and unique character aesthetics that enhance the overall experience.
“The character designs are superb!”
“There's just something so inspiring about the grand landscapes and bizarre character designs.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find that while obtaining all achievements involves a fair amount of effort, the process is engaging and not tedious.
“Getting all achievements requires some work, but it's not tedious at all.”
“The grinding in this game feels rewarding and keeps me engaged.”
“I love how the grind leads to meaningful progress and unlocks new content.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, with only minor visual glitches that do not significantly impact gameplay.
Critic Reviews
Saviorless (Nintendo Switch)
A weird, beautifully rendered combination of Limbo and Super Mario Brothers, Saviorless is an interesting take on an action-platformer.
70%Saviorless Review – Combatting The Narrative
Saviorless delivers a smooth, challenging, and fun gameplay experience, with fantastic visual design, and an innovative take on narrative design, making it a great 2D Platformer for the fans of the genre
80%Saviorless Review (PC)
Saviorless shines when players control Antar, evaluating a puzzle that might stretch across a few screens, then testing possibilities and contemplating how to reach a collectible. Combat isn’t as engaging as the platforming or the puzzle solving, and checkpoint placement is pretty bad. Thankfully, the world is intriguing enough to counter potential frustration. The impressive art style is another draw and it’s worth playing through the narrative, even without getting all the torn pages, simply to see how the developers bring this fantasy universe to life. Saviorless is a solid debut title from an indie developer and its mix of ideas is good enough that I look forward to seeing what Empty Head Games delivers next. Review key provided by the publisher.
85%
