Leif’s Adventure: Netherworld Hero

Genre: Action-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Leif’s Adventure, released in 2024 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch, is an Action-Platformer with Puzzle-Platformer elements and a strong asymmetrical co-op component where players take the role of the titular Leif, a young boy in a Norse-themed village who aspires to be a hero but is seen as lacking the aptitude for it, especially when compared to his brother, Ragnar. However, Leif gets his chance to prove himself when his village is attacked by malicious spirit warriors. Initially sent to fetch Ragnar, Leif sees his brother assaulted by a mysterious stranger and dragged into an otherworldly portal. Heading into the portal in pursuit, Leif comes across Ghost, a spirit who joins Leif and assists him on his adventure.

This game’s presentation uses 2D visuals animated in a “paper doll” style, joined by nonsense sounds for characters’ speech, Leif’s voiced shouts when attacking (much like The Legend of Zelda’s Link), and an instrumental soundtrack that works well enough but isn’t memorable. All in all, the presentation here is fine, but doesn’t do anything particularly special.

As for the gameplay… I feel like I see what this game is trying to do, but there are issues. The main idea is that you’re starting with a straightforward Action-Platformer, but then have the added element of a free-floating ghost character that can move within range of your main character and interact with the environment in various ways based on the context of that environment, such as creating platforms or removing hazards. This is done with the right analog stick and a button press in single-player, or done with a second player in co-op. In theory, this could add an extra element to the gameplay, require added coordination and timing, and elevate the experience.

The first problem here is that the platforming isn’t especially good, and the combat is pretty bad, with clumsy movements, an inability to attack in midair (at least not until getting a later upgrade), and breakable weapons without getting regular replacements like you do in games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom – people already complain about breaking weapons in those games, now picture just how much worse it is if you only run across new weapons every once in a while.

So the gameplay foundation the game is building on is already pretty lacking, and then on top of that you have the problem that the game just isn’t really balanced for both single-player and co-op play. In single-player, some moments during gameplay can be far too hectic to try to multitask both characters’ movements, making these moments seem better-suited to co-op… but then you have moments where one character needs to do something and the other can’t really do anything but wait, which might work in single-player but will frustrate co-op players.

I respect that Leif’s Adventure is trying to do something with its two-character gameplay, but the combination of sub-par Action-Platformer gameplay, and the game’s inability to compensate for balancing for one or two players makes this a frustrating experience that just doesn’t work all that well, and isn’t a game I’d recommend.

tl;dr – Leif’s Adventure is an Action-Platformer with Puzzle-Platformer elements and a strong asymmetrical co-op component where players take the role of a boy on an adventure to save his Norse-themed village, joined by a spirit who assists Leif him on his adventure. This game’s combat and platforming both leave a lot to be desired, and while the game’s two-character mechanic has potential, the game does a poor job properly balancing it both for one or two players. This results in a game that is frustrating and unsatisfying no matter how you play it.

Grade: C-

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