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."
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and varied gameplay experience with interesting mechanics that evolve over time.
- The atmosphere and sound design are well-executed, creating suspenseful moments that enhance the overall experience.
- At its low price point, the game provides good value for players looking for a short but engaging indie platformer.
- The game suffers from frustrating difficulty spikes and a lack of a save system, making progress challenging.
- Graphics and visual presentation are criticized for being rough and unappealing, with a distracting filter that can be hard to look at.
- The narrative and connection to its predecessor, Archimedes, are seen as weak, leaving players wanting more depth and cohesion in the story.
- story8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story is a significant enhancement to the overall experience, featuring a blend of horror and psychological elements that captivate players initially. However, opinions are mixed, as some feel the narrative deteriorates over time and lacks depth, despite its intriguing concepts and quality voice acting. Overall, while the story starts strong and is visually appealing, it leaves players wanting more development and coherence.
“Simple and varied gameplay with a thrilling story and high-production visuals.”
“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.”
“Playing that before playing the basilisk adds nothing to your comprehension of the story.”
“2 hours or so of puzzle platformer set in a twisted story.”
“Horror and story elements sprinkled liberally throughout enhance the experience in a major way.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its variety and the introduction of new mechanics at a steady pace, keeping the experience fresh and engaging. Players navigate cleverly designed levels using a core mechanic that involves color-based interactions, ensuring that the gameplay remains interesting and avoids monotony. Overall, the combination of simple yet innovative mechanics, along with high-quality visuals and a compelling story, enhances the overall gameplay experience.
“The gameplay is pretty varied with new mechanics added at a steady pace.”
“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.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are a mixed bag, featuring simplistic visuals that align well with its theme, but marred by a distracting and unremovable retro screen filter that detracts from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the high-production visuals and the game's aesthetic, many find the filter difficult to endure, overshadowing the otherwise varied gameplay and engaging story.
“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 graphics are basic, which is completely fine given the game.”
“Couple this with lazy minimalist graphics and a really awful 'retro' screen filter that the developers decided you can't turn off.”
“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
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % 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.
“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.”
“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 out because of this.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % 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.
“The game offers a wealth of additional content that keeps the experience fresh every time you finish it.”
“Each playthrough feels unique due to the diverse choices and outcomes available, enhancing its replayability.”
“The ability to explore different strategies and character builds makes returning to the game a rewarding experience.”
“I really don't understand how they thought adding additional content every time you finish the game would add to 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 a sense of unease, leaving players feeling on edge throughout their experience.
“The atmosphere created throughout the game, enhanced by the use of music and sound effects, was exceptional. There were many moments where I felt on edge and creeped out because of this.”
“The immersive atmosphere truly draws you in, making every moment feel intense and engaging.”
“The combination of visuals and audio creates a haunting atmosphere that lingers long after you've put the game down.”
“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, making it feel flat and unengaging.”
“Despite the potential for a rich atmosphere, the environments feel lifeless and uninspired.”
