I was born around the time the PlayStation 1 came out, which means that my younger years were mostly spent playing games like Spyro: The Dragon. But occasionally, I'd get my hands on a demo disc for some game that was a little too adult for me. Not in the smutty sense, but in terms of what my developing motor skills could put up with.
I'm talking your Lara Crofts, your Bushido Blades (alright, maybe that gorefest was a little mature): Games that demanded absolute precision from you, otherwise you'd be cut down in an instant or slowly leap to your doom. Let me tell you, Motorslice has me full-on-Ratatouille flashbacking back to those more innocent days. Except now I know how to play videogames. Allegedly.
Motorslice's demo has been out for a while now, but it was recently updated for Steam Next Fest. Its controls seem unwieldy at first, but they're mostly just demanding. Chainsaw-blade-wielding protagonist P controls a lot like Lara Croft in the early Tomb Raider games. That is to say, all of her movements are incredibly high-commitment, and you need to know exactly where you're going.
That's not to say the game's controls are perfect, yet. It is a small indie number that's a while away from full release. P would occasionally fling herself to her doom without much prompting, and I encountered a weird bug where she'd occasionally lose all of her momentum when she jumped. Also, once while I was climbing a crack along a wall, P exploded. Just… into chunks. I guess she'd had enough of me.
But the longer I spent with the demo, the more I came to respect Motorslice's uncompromising attitude: You don't jump unless you mean it, stupid.
Combat's also similarly do-or-die. P can take what feels like exactly one hit from a beserk digger before she's rendered into pixellated chunks—forcing you to stay aggressive. Luckily, you can parry by attacking at the same time as your opponent. And we all know I love a good parry.
What really fuels Motorslice's engine, however, are the vibes. It takes place in a giant brutalist megastructure with pixellated textures, models, and dust particle effects that—sans that oldschool PS1 wobble—really help transport me to a simpler time.
The game even sneaks a little Shadow of the Colossus in there with its one bossfight against a violent, building-sided dump truck. To deal damage, you need to use your motorslice ability (you stick your sword into a wall and then glide across it) on the truck's hull, clambering up to its enormous back, where it will then attempt to unceremoniously dump you on the ground. It works well with the game's emphasis on platforming, and I had a great time scaling the great industrial monstrosity.
The only thing that bothered me—aside from the occasional spontaneous P-explosion—is how much the game, uh, likes her. P is indeed a cute anime girl, but I was kinda shaken out of my nostalgic fugue state when a dialogue option prompted me (you're sorta playing the role of P's orb drone, Orby) to say "you're such a good girl" while she was bent in front of the camera.
But hey, if that's what you're into, who am I to yuck your yum—and hey, maybe Motorslice intends to pull some Nier: Automata-esque trick in its later chapters based on whether you decided to be a pervy drone or not. Either way, Motorslice has a lot going for it, and I'm keen to see this thing fully revved. You can try out Motorslice now on Steam.
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