Laika 2.0 Demo

Animals are often used as test subjects for new technologies or medication, given the fact that we cannot risk testing unsafe substances on humans right away. As gruesome as it may sound, there is often no other choice, although some companies are not really giving it their best in terms of being at least merciful with their tests. Hence, it’s no wonder that we first sent dogs and monkeys into space before humans.

Laika 2.0 is an interesting puzzle game with platformer elements, in which you play as a biologically-enhanced chimpanzee working for the KGB. The goal is to explore sci-fi environments and make sure you avoid all the traps and enemies along the way. There are other puzzles to tackle as well, and the whole thing is presented through the use of retro graphics.

Although it sounds pretty silly, the story is actually quite intriguing, and it also features some complex plots as well. However, most of your time is spent navigating tough levels, while the story is mostly presented through static cutscenes. Hence, it’s more important to pay attention to the controls and be as quick as possible, while also figuring out the best route throughout the stages.

Your primary goal is to find the exit from every levels, which is usually a door leading to the next corridor and so on. However, your path is often blocked by patrolling enemies or lasers, so it’s important to synchronize your movement in order to get through alive. Other puzzles make an appearance later on too, including some that require more than a bit of tinkering before coming up with a solution.

Since the game encourages fast reflexes, it’s important for the controls to be accurate and snappy, which they are. Your monkey can climb walls, crouch, as well as perform a variety of other actions required to make it to the end of each level. As for the graphics, they are designed to look retro, but not in an ugly way, which is something many games forget to address.

In the end, Laika 2.0 is not very welcoming to newcomers, but you can still learn the ropes if you put a bit of effort into it. Hence, the fast-paced mechanics and stealth-like gameplay elements are fun enough to keep you playing for a long time.