In the crowded indie platformer genre every new title needs a gimmick to stand out from the crowd… Or do they? That’s not the case with Love by developer Fred Wood. Instead of reinventing the wheel for the millionth time, Love offers you the basics, tightly tuned and immensely playable in a package that anyone can enjoy.
Playing as a little pixelated man, you only have one goal: Get to the other side of the level. Impeding your progress are your fundamental spikes, pits, saw blades, dripping acid, falling ceilings and maybe dinosaur teeth? Our digital main man can run, jump and drop respawn points on stationary surfaces, meaning you won’t need to loose a lot of progress if you die. And you will die. A lot. The game’s normal difficulty gives you 100 lives to complete eleven levels, and even after a few games that still won’t be enough, and that’s okay.
Each level presents you with a series of obstacles, many of which can be devilishly difficult to make your way through. When you die you’re instantly whisked back to the last checkpoint you set, which keeps the game flowing quickly. In fact, while some sections will require you to stop and carefully time your jumps, one of the joys of Love is how little you have to stop or slow down; given that death is but a momentary setback you can run and jump in freedom, really enjoying the game at a fast, fun pace. The levels are difficult, but do a great job of being challenging without being frustrating.
Graphically the game is retro, even for modern indies’ “it’s hip to be square” aesthetic. Each level is only a handful of colors on a black background and the simplicity is pretty appealing. Plus, some of the levels with moving scenery actually look pretty good with the game’s marked minimalism. This goes very well with the game’s soundtrack, which pays homage to platformers of yesteryear with a modern take that is both fitting and fun.
As an added bonus the game also accepts custom levels assembled from layers of .gifs. While the process is a little unintuitive and require some time to make a real, custom level it is a nice option and just begs for deviant minds to flex their imaginations.
Beware the all-consuming maw of 28th president, Woodrow Wilson!
(You can probably come up with better ideas than I did)
Love is a title that goes to show that sometimes less is more. It’s really refreshing to pick up a game, especially a platformer, that knows exactly what it wants to be and does it without affectation. Plus, at $1.99 it’s a low-risk investment. It’s a great game, whether or not you love platformers. It’s simple and fun, so what more could you ask for?
Love can be purchased here at its website.
This game was reviewed using retail code provided to us by the publisher.
