Upsolom

Since cities are starting to get taller and taller, it’s not that far-fetched to imagine a future where some people never see the ground from their skyscrapers. There’s still a long way to go, but it’s definitely feasible. Naturally, everyone dreams to visit the future using a time machine and see how things turn out before everyone else, and exploration would probably be the main attraction.

Upsolom is an exploration game in which you have to wander around an unknown city and try to find all sorts of interesting objects and secrets. You are aided by some sort of mechanical suit, which allows you to jump really high and survive rough landings from high altitudes. The goal of the game is to help you relax and give you something interesting to look at in the meantime, so don’t expect anything too meaningful.

There is no story to guide you along, no characters or any kind of entities other than yourself. In fact, the presentation is a bit lackluster in this regard, since there are no instructions on how to proceed or what to do. You might be a tad disoriented at first, given the intricate environment laying in front of you. After a short accommodation period, everything should come naturally, though.

The controls are very simple as well, even if it could take you a while to understand how far your character can jump. Your suit has a maximum amount of thrust it can output in a single jump, but since there is no HUD or a display to show you when it’s about to turn off, there’s a lot of trial and error. It’s not too bad, but a HUD would go a long way to help you navigate, even if it might ruin the immersion a little.

Thankfully, everything else is right on point, including the graphics engine. It might be just Unity again, but the level design is quite impressive and atmospheric. There is some intricate architecture to admire along the way, as well as some well-placed post-processing effects. Even the soundtrack does its job and completes the atmosphere, since it goes terribly well with the general vibe of the game.

All things considered, Upsolom is a bit too short and empty to cause any revelations, but it can distract you from your problems for a while, which is exactly what you may need sometimes. In fact, it can be the perfect place to daydream and think about something else, as long as you don’t get frustrated by missed leaps.