Slowdive

Being alone is a pretty awful thing for most people, even if there are some exceptions that seem to thrive when they have no one to bother them. Hence, being the last one of your species would really be quite sad, especially if you had a long life to look forward to as well. On the other hand, that gives you the freedom to do pretty much whatever you desire.

Slowdive is a top-down puzzle game in which you play the role of a creature that’s the last remnant of a long-gone civilization. In essence, the game tries to overwhelm you with sadness, and it has the potential to do so if you are feeling particularly nostalgic. On the other hand, it’s still a pretty simple game, so it’s not going to change your view of the world or anything like that.

The whole thing takes place on what used to be the main character’s home planet, yet it’s entirely deserted now. There are all sorts of room full of interesting contraptions, and your task is to investigate them and try to discover more information about the past. A lot of symbolism is involved, so you might have to give some concepts a bit more thought before they truly make sense.

The puzzles can be pretty tough as well, but most of your time is going to be spent trying to avoid all sorts of traps and obstacles. Hence, whether it’s spikes coming out of the floor or flames, everything can kill you with just one touch, so it’s important that you avoid anything that looks dangerous. Granted, it may be difficult to do so sometimes, but at least you can respawn at the start of the level.

Speaking of which, the level design is pretty impressive, especially when you consider the low diversity of tiles used to bring everything to life. Hence, there’s little to no variation when it comes to the color scheme, yet each room is somehow different than the last. Even so, it can get repetitive after a while, at least if the atmosphere doesn’t draw you in.

All things considered, Slowdive can make quite the impression on you, at least if you are in the proper mood for it. On the other hand, it can also fall flat if you are not in the mood for nostalgia, so it might not do the trick for everyone.