Boy, we’ve had our fair share of 2D platform adventures already this year, haven’t we? What? Another one? About a shape-shifting girl? Hm, that sounds interesting! And you’ve got to hunt giant beasts? Well… What can go wrong with this kind of setup, right? Let’s have a quick looksy in our short review of Mable & The Wood! Let’s do this!
You play as Mable, a summoned, for the lack of a better term, fairy. She is granted a sword that is to heavy for her short little frame which makes jumping or attacking impossible. But, don’t fret! Because when you throw down your sword you are able to jump to all your heart’s content. But not for too long, because your stamina runs out very quickly! To attack? You’ll have to pull your sword back, and if the enemy is in between you and your sword? Then you’ll give them the right THWAP! But that’s not all. Because you have special powers, you are able to shapeshift! Making for some interesting ways for you to travel across this game’s forests, towns and caves. Each of your shapes has a different way of travel and attack. So it’s up to you to decide the correct one. In regards to your enemies? They’re kind of a common place holders. Most of ‘m pose no challenge and are just there to annoy you along the way. They’re unimpressive and just lack the basic fun factor that otherwise makes a decent Metroidvania game tick. The bosses, on the other hand, are a bit more troublesome. They’re big and they’re beefy. And you’ll do good as to give them some space because they pack a big wallop! The graphics department felt a bit too basic for my taste. And that’s much since I truly adore 8Bit games! The colors feel lacking even though they are bright and colorful.
While I truly love a good Metroidvania, I find it hard to admit when one just doesn’t feel up to code. Mable & The Wood seemed like a nice concept, one that still is kind of unique. There aren’t a lot of these where you can truly shapeshift in all sorts of forms that have their own kind of abilities. While Mable & The Wood isn’t a bad game in itself, my general impression left me half baked and bored since there was little to no challenge.
