Unsighted

Genre: Action-RPG

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

.

Review:

Unsighted is an Action-RPG released on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2021. This game has players taking the role of Alma, a synthetic humanoid automaton fighting to regain access to a meteorite needed to keep her people from becoming The Unsighted, mindless minions of the evil humans, who have secured the meteorite for their own evil purposes.

I won’t mince words – newbie developer Studio Pixel Punk has created something truly special here, combining some of the best elements of games like The Legend of Zelda, Hollow Knight, and Hyper Light Drifter, with a story that feels reminiscent of the Mega Man X series. That is not only some big shoes to fill, but a lot of disparate elements to juggle. Yet Unsighted manages this task brilliantly, delivering a game that makes good use of all of those elements to craft an experience that’s both distinct and wonderful.

The pixel art visuals here are absolutely wonderful, exquisitely detailed, with excellent animation and plenty of personality, with some really nice character designs, and good variety in its environments. This is backed by a synthesized soundtrack that seems more focused on atmosphere than melody, but that does it very well – the music in this game actually reminds me a lot of the Metroid series, with hints of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Even with that being the case, there are some good tunes here ranging from mellow to fast-paced depending on the situation, like Crystalline, The Ancient Deity, A Twisted Grip, The Lady of Frost, and Wishful Outpost, to name a few.

However, what’s really impressive here is the aforementioned mix of gameplay elements. Players move through the somewhat labyrinthine world in a way that’s somewhere between a classic Zelda-style game and a Metroidvania, fighting enemies using an expanding arsenal of melee and projectile weapons, with Two-Stick Shooter-style aiming. Players can equip any two of these weapons at a time, allowing some flexibility in combat style. As they progress, they’ll be gaining additional abilities that will open up traversal around the world, again in a way that lies somewhere between Zelda and Metroid.

I should note that many are straight up calling this game a Metroidvania, and I can’t blame them – I was seriously on the fence myself on whether to deem this a Metroidvania, but I ultimately felt like the world, while mazelike, was still closer to the open-ended Zelda games, and the upgraded abilities often came in thematic areas that felt like Zelda-style dungeons, complete with Zelda-style puzzles to solve. However, it really comes down to what your criteria are for these genres, and I don’t think either answer is necessarily wrong.

Regardless, players will have plenty of reason to explore here – there are tons of secrets strewn around the map, hidden abilities and collectables, little bits of lore to add to the game’s world, and both resources and currency you’ll need to craft and upgrade your weapons and equipment. You’ll even have a Hollow Knight-esque upgrade system for your character, allowing you to insert slotted upgrades to customize your gameplay experience.

While the world design makes exploration in this game a delight, and there are a multitude of customization options, another facet of this game that is clearly a focus is the combat, which is fast, well-crafted, and unforgiving. Players will need to learn the attack patterns of enemies to make good headway in the game, and there are some creative and challenging enemies and boss fights throughout the game.

This brings me to the first major complaints about the game, and this one is a “love it or hate it” sorta’ thing – combat in this game is highly dependent on a counter system that requires good timing on the player’s part to deflect enemy attacks and leave enemies in a stunned and vulnerable state. If you can get the timing down, you’ll likely find the combat here to be a joy, a challenging dance between enemies. If you struggle with that timing though, you’ll find this to be an extremely tough experience, especially when surrounded by enemies all attacking at once.

Another interesting element of the game is an “anima” system. Both the player and friendly automatons the player encounters have their days numbered – they all have only so much time before the meteorite crystals powering them run out, leaving them mindless and hostile like the countless enemies you encounter. Players can stave off this fate for themselves and others by finding meteor dust, which they can opt to gift to another automaton (sometimes in exchange for a bonus), or selfishly hoard for themselves. But this stuff is only temporarily staving off the inevitable, and players will feel a very real deadline looming as their time dwindles for both them and their helpful allies.

… or not. One of the wise decisions Studio Pixel Punk made here is to give players the option to scale individual parts of this experience to their liking. Don’t want to feel the pressure of deadlines? Turn them off. Feel like combat is too punishing? There’s an option to make it more forgiving, or even make your character invincible so you can focus on the exploration, puzzles, and story. Of course, those wanting a tough-as-nails experience have that option, but putting the option here allows this game to cater to a wider audience than those just seeking a challenge. Personally, I can appreciate how the time limits tie into the game’s story and work to keep players on task, but I personally prefer a more relaxed pace, so I was immensely grateful to be able to shut this feature off.

If there’s one major flaw in this game that can’t be shut off, it’s the platforming, which is decent, but is hindered by the fact that as a game viewed from an angle overhead, it’s often difficult to judge where things are in relation to each other. This is made even worse when trying to aim at the same time, or when maneuvering around numerous enemies. Thankfully, you rarely have to fight and do platforming at the same time.

While there are a few complaints I have here, my overwhelming feeling about Unsighted is one of absolute joy – Unsighted mixes so many elements into an outstanding experience, and it also makes this an extremely adaptable experience so players can take an a la carte approach to the game’s more challenging elements. And its mix of great exploration, superb combat, clever puzzles, and engaging crafting and upgrades makes this one of the best games I’ve played in 2021. I highly recommend this game.

tl;dr – Unsighted is an Action-RPG where players take the role of a humanoid automaton fighting a horde of the titular mindless robotic enemies to try to save her people. This game expertly combines elements of some of the best Action-RPG and Metroidvania games, with some really great exploration, puzzles, combat, crafting, and tons of secrets to find. And while some of the game’s default elements are brutally difficult, there are also numerous options so players can customize the experience to their own personal challenge level. The result is a phenomenal game that’s an absolute must-play regardless of whether you’re a challenge-seeker or simply want a wonderful, unique adventure.

Grade: A

.

This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Winner:

Game of the Year: Bronze Award (Third Place) – Unsighted is a game that juggles multiple elements, and it does them all very well. It has top-down Action-RPG elements in line with the Zelda franchise, complete with unique dungeons, great puzzles, and creative bosses. It has exploration elements apparently influenced by Metroidvanias, with a customizable upgrade system that feels very reminiscent of Hollow Knight. It has a story and characters reminiscent of the Mega Man X series (so much angst!). And it has some great combat, with a focus on timing and proper use of a parry-counter mechanic.

In addition, it adds some creative elements of its own, such as NPCs whose days are literally numbered, and you can get into their good graces by handing them (artificial) life-saving meteor dust, or hoard it all for yourself. And while the core game is very difficult, Unsighted allows players to alter the experience to their liking, reducing the challenge of combat or getting rid of the time limits, for example.

The result is a phenomenal Action-RPG that has a wide appeal for a variety of different types of gamers. Whether you’re looking for great exploration, great action, great puzzles, inventive RPG mechanics, or a combination of all of the above, you’ll find a lot to love in Unsighted.

Runner-Up: Best Action-RPG

.

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are MB, Andy Miller, Johannes, u/RamboFox, Exlene, Eli Goodman, Ilya Zverev, Stov, Connor Armstrong, and K.H. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}