William and Sly
- February 26, 2024
- Lucas Paakh
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"William and Sly" is a 3D platformer game that brings the classic Flash series to a new open world. Explore diverse landscapes as a fox searching for mushrooms, untangle the dark enchantress's plots, and enjoy over ten hours of gameplay with fifteen new songs. The game is a nostalgic reimagining of the beloved Flash games, now available in a whole new style.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a beautiful and immersive world, reminiscent of the original flash games, with stunning landscapes and a relaxing atmosphere.
- Gameplay focuses on exploration and discovery, allowing players to enjoy a cozy experience without the pressure of time limits or difficult challenges.
- The movement mechanics are enjoyable, with a sense of speed and agility that enhances the experience of traversing the expansive map.
- The tank controls can feel clunky and make precise movements difficult, leading to frustration during platforming sections.
- Performance issues are prevalent, with reports of low frame rates and overheating on even high-end systems, limiting the overall experience.
- Some game mechanics, such as the unlocking of blue essences and the lack of clear instructions, can lead to confusion and unnecessary backtracking.
- graphics12 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their beautiful visuals and immersive atmosphere, successfully upgrading the original 2D art style to a grander 3D experience. However, performance issues are noted, with players experiencing overheating and inconsistent frame rates, particularly on high-end hardware, and a lack of adjustable graphics settings. Overall, while the visuals contribute to a nostalgic and enjoyable experience, technical performance detracts from the overall enjoyment.
“Gorgeous soundtrack and visuals.”
“Amazing atmosphere and immersion, beautiful visuals, great soundtrack and nostalgia from my childhood days of playing the flash games (especially when I heard the bird sound sample used in the old games).”
“The 3D visuals are a huge upgrade from the original 2D games and make the world feel much grander and wilder.”
“Also, performance is pretty bad; 70-130 fps on a 3080 with no graphics options besides a non-functional vsync switch. I can't imagine it managing a stable 60 on the recommended 1070.”
“With no way to further adjust graphics settings, I'm going to have to let this sit in my library until I upgrade.”
“Mine runs too hot, even with 'low graphics mode', in at least one location.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning natural landscapes, immersive visuals, and evocative soundtrack, which together create a captivating flow state for players. Reviewers highlight the balance between exploration and nostalgia, noting that it faithfully captures the essence of the original flash games while enhancing the experience with modern 3D elements. Overall, the atmosphere is described as peaceful, artistic, and deeply engaging, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“The central hook of this game is the flow state you find yourself in, running around these truly gorgeous natural landscapes, with great atmosphere and music.”
“Amazing atmosphere and immersion, beautiful visuals, great soundtrack and nostalgia from my childhood days of playing the flash games (especially when I heard the bird sound sample used in the old games).”
“Lovely atmospheric exploration game with great music and interesting lore.”
“Using the power also separates you from the sublime atmosphere of running across the landscape, which I found to be the game's biggest strength.”
“It still retains the very peaceful and calm atmosphere, and this strangely artistic touch to the whole experience.”
“Stays very faithful to the original flash games, with heavy emphasis on atmosphere, exploration, and freedom.”
- music8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the immersive experience, perfectly complementing the stunning visuals and natural landscapes. Reviewers highlight the gorgeous soundtrack and nostalgic elements, noting how the music contributes to the overall atmosphere and flow of gameplay. Overall, the combination of music and art creates a captivating ambiance that enriches the exploration experience.
“The central hook of this game is the flow state you find yourself in, running around these truly gorgeous natural landscapes, with great atmosphere and music.”
“The design of the open world combined with the new music tracks just absolutely nails it.”
“The soundtrack and bird calls are the perfect mix to create a great ambiance.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with criticisms highlighting clunky tank controls, repetitive mechanics, and a large map that can feel overwhelming. While some players appreciate the nostalgic atmosphere and 3D visuals, others find the minigames ineffective and the overall experience lacking in challenge and clarity.
“It is faithful to the atmosphere and overall feeling of the originals while being refreshed with 3D visuals and gameplay.”
“Unfortunately low effort: tank controls, a handful of minigames that really don't work well with said tank controls, backwards running speed so high you outrun the camera, terrain textures that get more stretched out the steeper the terrain is, enemies that pose no threat and you'll probably defeat by accident by jumping around, a core mechanic that's 90% backtracking across a far too large map/5% prop hunting/5% repeating simple minigames...”
“Controls are a bit wonky, gameplay a little repetitive and the map is a bit too big, but it's still fun.”
“A fun game and definitely a worthy successor to the classics, but there were some confusing changes to game mechanics that needed explanation and familiarity with the other games actually made it worse.”
- story3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story in the game is engaging and effectively integrated with the tutorial, making it easy for players to become immersed, despite a slight learning curve with the controls. Overall, it captivates players and keeps them invested in the gameplay.
“The tutorial was intuitive and nicely blended into the story, although it took a bit to get used to the controls.”
“I'm already engrossed in the story and can hardly pull myself away.”
“The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent flow.”
“Character development is shallow, making it hard to connect with anyone.”
“The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized, with players reporting poor performance, achieving only 70-130 fps on high-end hardware like the RTX 3080, and expressing concerns about its ability to maintain stable frame rates even on recommended systems like the GTX 1070. Additionally, the lack of meaningful graphics options, including a non-functional vsync switch, further highlights the optimization issues.
“The performance is pretty bad, 70-130 fps on a 3080 with no graphics options besides a non-functional vsync switch. I can't imagine it managing a stable 60 fps on the recommended 1070.”
“The game doesn't seem to be well-optimized.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the game's mechanics, particularly the lack of coyote frames, which leads to a disconnection between their inputs and the character's actions. This design choice diminishes the emotional engagement by hindering the player's ability to navigate challenging terrain effectively, resulting in a sense of helplessness during gameplay.
