Glyph (PC) Review
Release Date: August 9, 2021 (originally on Switch February 1, 2021)
Publisher/Developer: Bolverk Games
Platform: Steam (reviewed), Nintendo Switch
Price: $19.99
Released a half a year ago on Switch, Glyph comes to Steam for another round. A puzzle platformer feeling a bit 3D Mario, a little bit Monkey Ball, with a splash of Egyptian flair, Glyph presents a unique twist, but does require a precision that may push a few away.
Glyph is a little scarab beetle that spends most of it’s time in a ball shape. Occasionally during the game you may go for a long jump where it spreads its wings and hovers, but most of the game finds you controlling a ball-shaped being in intricate platforming challenges. Some may be collect-a-thons, whilst others are simply to test your dexterity. No matter what, you have to deal with the fact that your character is 99% of the time a little sphere, with all the pros and cons that come with that. Huge momentum can be built up, but stopping power is at a minimum. Many jumps balance that risk and reward in order to proceed.
The art style and design of Glyph is beautiful, set in a sandy desert with many different times of day through the play. Levels are strewn about in and above sandy deserts, with the sand meaning an instant death. Sometimes several difficult jumps are set in a row, requiring quick reaction time. Even with a break between some major jumps, there are no saves or checkpoints to be found, meaning levels need to be finished in one go. Difficult section right in the middle followed by a mistake? Be ready to start all over again.
Glyph is best experienced with analog sticks. The computer does have a WASD and mouse option, but that translates to digital speed on your ball. In a world where precision matters, it is rather difficult to drive a car that is no gas or pedal to the metal. If you have the option, I suggest the game for Switch as the graphics aren’t going to take a major hit and it defaults to a controller with precision, but if you can’t, just make sure you stick with a controller over keyboard. Also, while Glyph does offer a small icon under your ball showing it’s position above the ground, I would have appreciated some more user-friendly options. My first thought is that the icon would change size in relation to your distance to the ground, or that you could see your trajectory and landing zone, as the beautiful graphical style didn’t really give me a major feeling of depth so the icon on the ground felt like it was just dancing around until I got really close to the ground. When aiming for a tiny platform, it just adds another layer of difficulty, especially if the platform is set to disappear after a single bounce.
The game offers replayability through collectibles: you have to get the keys to progress, coins unlock new areas and such, with gems being the big collectible needed to unlock new sections of the world. For me, it’s a bit frustrating, as the one-hit death with no checkpoint translates to pretty much trying your best to get them all in one go to prevent having to come back and attempt the difficult sections again later.
Glyph does have a basic storyline about a city swallowed by the sand, and stopping an ultimate foe to restore the world, but it is by and large very sparse. I would have loved to seen it expanded on. Perhaps as it goes on there is more, but the time I had with the game those story bits did not come across frequently.
As you progress (primarily through the tutorial section) you develop a lot of new abilities, such as jumps, double-jumps, recharge rings, and hover flight. All of these abilities add to the overall challenge of each level. In the end, it does boil down to “stay on the stage” as that deadly insta-kill sand is your main archenemy throughout.
Glyph provides a welcome challenge and a lot of fun, definitely giving that “Monkey Ball” feel to fans of the extremely small niche genre. The insta death with no checkpoints can get frustrating at times, but persistence and patience will reward you with a bevy of levels to continue the challenge. Just definitely make sure you sync up a controller for natural and more defined control.
Pros:
-Beautiful landscape and cute characters
-Challenge aplenty
-Amazing amount of abilities for a ball
Cons:
-Definitely not WASD Friendly
-Insta-kill with no checkpoints between difficult sections
-Needs better depth perception for a game centered around such precision
Special thanks to Bolverk Games for providing a code for review!