RePete

Time manipulation is a pretty popular idea in video games and movies, although it can create a lot of unwanted paradoxes. On the other hand, it doesn’t need to be perfect in order to entertain the public, as long as the action is engaging and fun. The concept doesn’t necessarily need to be original, but it helps a lot if you do not stumble into the same mechanics every time.

RePete is a pretty small and simple game, yet it packs quite a neat gameplay gimmick. It’s not actually time travel, but it comes close to the concept. Hence, you have to replicate yourself and use your own cloned body as a foothold to reach higher platforms. It may sound difficult to grasp, but the idea is simple and easy to put into practice.

There’s not much of a story either, since it’s all about finding the right solution to the puzzles. Each level poses a different challenge, although the difficulty level is not at all as smooth as it should be. In fact, some stages can be quite tricky and demanding, while the next few are as facile as the tutorial missions. Thankfully, there are enough of them to see everything the game could potentially offer.

In order for a platformer not to be more frustrating than it has to be, the controls must be very accurate and responsive, otherwise you’ll get mad at them instead of the puzzles. RePete does a good job when it comes to that, which means that the number of accidental falls should be pretty low, as long as you are paying attention to the screen. On the other hand, gamepads are not supported yet, which is kind of a bummer.

Visually, the game is as simple as it gets, with 2D environments and a couple of tiled textures to make up the terrain. The background artwork is decent, and the colors go quite well with each other. Even the animations are smooth and accurate, even if nothing besides the main character is animated. Music plays in the background too, but it’s not the kind that sticks with you after you leave the game.

Even if RePete has its fair share of flaws, the concept is still pretty original and fun, not to mention challenging at times. As long as the game keeps getting updated and fixed on a regular basis, it should turn into quite the hit with the fans of the genre.