Failed State Demo

Most end of the world stories feature zombies or nuclear apocalypse, but there are many more ways humans can bring the planet to its knees. Naturally, almost every book and movie features a cast of brave characters that manage to turn things around and survive against all odds. Video games follow the same path as well, except that you get to be at the center of it all.

Failed State is a retro adventure game in which you play the role of a girl trying to stay alive in a decaying world. Exploration is a big part of the game, although the 2D environments make it rather difficult to feel like you are truly free to roam. On the other hand, the game is more about the action and the survival than anything else, and the developers have done a good job in that regard.

The girl’s name is Rose, and she is on a quest to save what’s left of the world and prevent a new series of disasters that are about to take place. As the developers put it, you have the option to choose a few things every now and again in regards to the plot, although you shouldn’t expect anything too great either. On the other hand, it’s always better to have a choice than to follow a strict path through the story.

As mentioned before, you can explore the environments at your own free will, even if they are rather tiny most of the time. Your character can also pick up various objects and store them in your inventory, such as precious food that keeps you alive. It’s also possible to interact with certain items along the way, as well as attack enemies and solve a few puzzles every now and again.

The graphics are not particularly impressive from a technical point of view, but they are certainly pretty. You can tell that the designers have put quite a bit of work into the pixel art for the backgrounds, and the animations are very smooth and pleasant as well. It’s also worth mentioning that the soundtrack goes along nicely with the general atmosphere of the game, which is always good news.

In the end, Failed State has all the characteristics of a fun retro game, especially since the developers focused on the storytelling and the gameplay experience. Thus, the final product should be very enjoyable if everything goes according to plan.