PRiO Demo

Platformers are not as difficult to put together as complex shooters that have to render impressive environments, realistic ballistics and fluid animations at the same time, but that doesn’t make them easy to design. Just like every other type of game out there, a platformer needs to have a certain spark in order to attract players, and that’s not easy to come by.

PRiO is a pretty simple concept in theory, but the actual gameplay is very engaging and challenging, not to mention fun and rewarding. In short, you control a ball of light that must touch all the blocks in the level in order to light them up. If that sounds pretty easy, you need to wait a few levels and make another statement, because things get out of hand pretty quickly.

First, the blocks come in three different colors, and only one color can be active at a time. You can choose which color is active at any given time, but you must also remember that those that are not can’t be used as platforms. Hence, you must switch between them and avoid falling to your death, while also making sure that no block goes untouched, otherwise you won’t be able to finish the level.

It gets even more complicated than that, because traps make an appearance after the first couple of levels. Spikes are the most common, and they cause instant death if you happen to touch them. A few other unpleasantries are introduced later on, and you just have to get used to them one by one. Granted, avoiding the traps is half the fun, despite all the frustration that ensues.

Lastly, it’s worth noting that the game is extremely polished when it comes to graphics and everything else. The visuals are smooth and elegant, yet still very simple and unintrusive. There is even an option for colorblind people to make the game playable for them as well, which shows how much thought went into the development process. The soundtrack is great too, which is always a plus.

Even if PRiO is not yet complete, the game has a lot of potential, especially if you enjoy a challenge. The game is very polished and tidy, which is not something you usually see in an indie production.