STEVE MILES·MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2019
Every now and then, there comes along a game that totally takes you by surprise and I guess the only question on your mind, at the end of it all, is how on earth has this not been done before? It’s not that VECTRONOM is out to impress you with fancy graphics and draw you in just for that, but the very moment you start this game, there is that simplicity in its design and concept that suddenly takes you over and pulls you in, and eventually sends you on a journey that tests you visually, audibly and in a very short time.. tests your very sanity!
The gameplay and object is to get your blue cube over to the circular coloured zone, which may seem pretty straightforward and simple enough,if it wasn’t for the fact that on these levels, things just happen! Paths can widen and narrow, and disappear and reappear as you approach. There may be hazards such as rotating shapes that can spell trouble should you make contact, and blue squares that will launch you forward over one platform to the other.
What you discover earlier on, is that the game is accompanied by an electronic soundtrack throughout, and the beats of this soundtrack are important tools for you to listen to, and by carefully moving to that beat, you are able to navigate and successfully master the many hazards before you. Paths will change shape, and paths will vanish all to this beat, and it’s clever timing and working out the beat to the music, that will be the difference between progression and success, or a wrong move that will launch you back to the beginning.
VECTRONOM is an highly addictive and very clever little puzzler for the Nintendo handheld. I make no excuses on the amount of times I waited, with my head nodding to the beat, and suddenly realised that my timing was totally ruined, by my thumbs suddenly running away with themselves, and sending my cube plummeting into the void!.
The soundtrack is an important and crucial part of games like this,and in this particular case it is superbly done throughout. Electronic pulses and hypnotic beats and rhythms change with every level, and I never got irritated or bothered by it at all throughout my gameplay time here. If you’re looking for something different to add to your Switch library that is innovative and totally unique, then this game is well worth playing.
I would advise headphones, and certainly not advise playing this at night, because once you start and the addictive gameplay suddenly takes you over, there can be no excuses for the sudden pulsating headache from overplaying and the mental drain from lack of timing on your behalf. I would also add that I felt this game was better with the direction pad and not the thumbsticks,that seemed too sensitive and prone to increasing my errors and mistakes, but that could be just me.
LUDOPIUM have certainly developed a little winner, that’s refreshing to experience and different from the deluge of RPGs and platformers in the e-shop at present,but take no responsibility when this game takes over your life!… You have been warned!
Highly recommended
Thanks to Ludopium for the code..
