The Basilisk
- July 24, 2018
- Joshua Hughes
Get on Steam"The Basilisk" is a genre-swapping platformer where you, a supercomputer, must save mankind from a deadly virus by solving RNA puzzles. With 50 levels, choice-based decisions, and multiple endings, this psychological journey explores dangerous ideas and offers a thought-provoking experience. This game is the sequel to the award-winning "Archimedes."
Reviews
- The game features a unique and engaging core mechanic that keeps gameplay interesting.
- The atmosphere, sound design, and music effectively create a suspenseful mood throughout the game.
- At its low price point, the game offers a worthwhile experience, making it hard to go wrong for players.
- The game suffers from frustrating controls and a lack of a save system, making it difficult for some players to progress.
- There are abrupt shifts in gameplay, introducing disjointed minigames that detract from the overall experience.
- The story has plot holes and does not build upon its predecessor, leaving some players wanting more depth and connection.
- story9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its creativity and engaging elements, with some users highlighting its psychological and philosophical themes, as well as high-quality visuals and voice acting. However, there are criticisms regarding plot holes and a decline in quality as the narrative progresses, leaving some players wanting a more fleshed-out experience. Overall, while the story captivates many, it also leaves room for improvement.
“The story is cool and it has voice acting.”
“The story is great, though I would have loved to have seen it fleshed out a bit more as I was hooked on the ideas that the previous game Archimedes and the Basilisk created.”
“Simple and varied gameplay with a thrilling story and high-production visuals.”
“There are a few plot holes, but besides that, it's very engaging.”
“Playing this before experiencing the basilisk adds nothing to your comprehension of the story.”
“2 hours or so of puzzle platforming set in a convoluted story.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a clever level design and solid mechanics, centered around navigating obstacles with a unique color-matching mechanic that prevents players from touching objects of differing colors. While the core mechanics are simple, the varied gameplay and engaging story maintain interest throughout, ensuring that the experience remains fresh and exciting. Overall, the combination of high-production visuals and innovative gameplay elements contributes to a compelling gaming experience.
“Simple and varied gameplay with a thrilling story and high-production visuals.”
“The level design itself is quite clever and the mechanics are solid; at its core, the game is about jumping over and across obstacles in an attempt to reach the 'spark' at the end of each level, but the twist is that your square has four different colored sides, and you can't touch any colored object with a side of a different color or you die.”
“While the mechanics were fairly simple, the change of style really kept it interesting from start to finish, and it never felt boring or repetitive at any point.”
“Ok gameplay that is made up through the genius story.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are described as high-production and simplistic, effectively complementing its gameplay and narrative. However, some players find a distracting filter that detracts from the visual experience, making it difficult to enjoy for extended periods. Overall, while the graphics align with the game's theme, the filter is a notable drawback.
“Simple and varied gameplay with a thrilling story and high-production visuals.”
“The game's graphics and sound are perfect for what it is; both are simplistic and evoke a wonderful sense of war games-y supercomputering, which is exactly what they should do.”
“The virus doesn't even fit the graphical scheme of the game, but that's the least of the problems.”
“The graphics are basic, which is completely fine given the game, but it has this god awful filter that makes it very hard to look at.”
“That's not me saying anything about aesthetics, just that the filter literally makes it hard to look at the screen for very long.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The music in the game is initially praised for its beautiful and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the lightweight psychological and philosophical themes. However, as the story progresses, the overall experience diminishes, despite a final music minigame that ties into the narrative. The sound design effectively contributes to creating tension and unease throughout the gameplay.
“At the beginning, the game carries itself in a lightweight psychological and philosophical spirit in the company of beautiful music, making it a very nice game to unwind.”
“In the end, you have one final music minigame and then a choice.”
“The atmosphere created throughout from the use of music and sound effects was done so well, and there were a lot of moments where I felt on edge and creeped because of this.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers express frustration with the game's replayability, noting that the addition of new content after each completion does not enhance the experience, particularly due to the inability to skip the initial dialogue. This limitation detracts from the overall enjoyment of replaying the game.
“I really don't understand how they thought adding additional content every time you finish the game would enhance this game's replay value, especially since the first dialogue is the only one that can be skipped.”
“The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
“Once you've experienced the story, there’s little incentive to go through it all again.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its effective use of music and sound effects, which successfully create tension and evoke feelings of unease, keeping players on edge throughout the experience.
“The atmosphere created throughout the game, from the use of music and sound effects, was done so well. There were many moments where I felt on edge and creeped out because of this.”
“The immersive environment and haunting sound design truly transport you into another world, making every moment feel intense and engaging.”
“The combination of visuals and ambient sounds creates a chilling atmosphere that keeps you on your toes, enhancing the overall experience.”
“The atmosphere created throughout the game, from the use of music and sound effects, was done so well that there were many moments where I felt on edge and creeped out because of it.”
“The game lacks any real sense of atmosphere; it feels empty and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the experience.”
“Despite the potential for a rich atmosphere, the environments feel bland and lifeless, failing to evoke any real emotion or tension.”
