Landflix Odyssey is a 2D pixel art platformer that pulls the player into the screen and has them running & jumping through stages themed as parodies of TV’s most popular shows. The player controls Larry, a wisecracking and somewhat vulgar beer guzzling couch potato who is mysteriously sucked into his streaming service “Landflix” after changing the dead batteries in his remote to a pair of mysterious glowing ones.
LANDFLIX AND CHILL
Larry platforms through various parody worlds based on some of televisions most popular shows such as Elder Thrones & BLINDEVIL, the puns are crude but amusing and the in episode nods and dialogue are fun if not necessarily abundant. Larry is on a quest to recover five batteries scattered throughout the shows, each show has multiple episodes unlocked with coins collected. Each show has a “season finale” of sorts with a boss segment that yields said battery when defeated. I particularly liked the way you could “channel surf” and jump to different shows if you have enough currency as some of the level art is repetitive and could bore some gamers less interested in the shows they’re based on.
Larry interacts with a character from each of the shows he’s in and is sometimes given a unique ability to pair with his base attack of a long range belch…yes, you read that correctly. In “Elder Thrones”, King John gives Larry a sword to kill Blue Walkers with while BLINDEVIL provides Larry with a walking stick that can be used for various actions. I found myself wishing the developer had taken some more time to incorporate some of the other characters from the shows as I think it was a missed opportunity to make the game more engaging. In the “Peculiar Stuff” level Larry warps into a different realm akin to the “Upside Down” from “Stranger Things” in a nice change of pace that adds some diversity and complexity to what is a very straightforward path while paying homage to the series the level is based on. It gives you a cool sense of nostalgia for the TV show and feels well executed as both a gameplay mechanic and narrative piece.
As with many platorming games controls can be an issue here and there as it is difficult to achieve perfection and while at times I wished for some more control mechanics such as a boosted or double jump it did not hinder my enjoyment of the game overall. Most tricky parts of the game were able to be traversed given a trial and error rinse and repeat approach, any veteran of platforming games should easily be able to complete this game in the 5-6 hour range. If there were one glaring weakness when it comes to Landlflix Odyssey it may be that the short experience puts its price point at the slightly low side for value as there is little replay incentive other than finding the 3 blue tickets scattered in each episodes hidden areas.
YOU KNOW NOTHING
Landflix Odyssey is a capable platformer in a minimalist art style, its sounds and music are fine enough and the pacing and challenge is more than adequate. The developers poke fun at many of the cliched trappings of society and the stream culture in which we live. While Landflix Odyssey isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel I did appreciate the fresh idea incorporating some of my favorite television series and characters. It’s a formula that can be easily replicated using other shows and hopefully expanded upon using more of the shows characters. The 2D pixel art landscape is littered with competent platformers and really standing out is becoming increasingly difficult, for that reason I believe I did enjoy Landflix Odyssey a bit more than similar games.
-RM
Many thanks to Fantastico Studio for the review code, please visit Landflix Odyssey for Nintendo Switch – Nintendo Game Details for more information
