Toricky Demo

Many different elements contribute toward a great game, regardless of genre or the target audience. Hence, developers need to find the perfect blend of graphics, story and gameplay mechanics in order to keep you engaged from start to finish. This is easier to do in some genres, but it really depends on how addictive the mechanics are.

Toricky is a 2D platformer with interesting gameplay mechanics, in which you have to play as a bird and fly across a variety of stages in order to collect items, solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Although it looks a lot like a regular platformer, the most important difference is that you can actually fly, so there’s no need to perform risky jumps over spiked-filled pits, but there are other obstacles you must watch out for.   The story is pretty convoluted and confusing, and it also interrupts the gameplay very often with slow and annoying cutscenes. In essence, the plot revolves around two birds named Toricky and Momo as they look for new adventures to occupy their time with. In this case, they go on a journey to find a mysterious jewel called Crystar, but things obviously get out of hand along the way.

The movement system allows you to fly in eight separate directions, but the mechanics are a tad too imprecise most of the time, which can result in a lot of frustration. Hence, a simple button tap sends your bird charging into the desired direction, but there are no brakes in the true sense of the word. Instead, pressing the opposite button reverts your direction at once, which makes it difficult to stay in one place or avoid tricky obstacles.   The exploration bit is kind of disappointing as well, given the fact that most of the levels are fairly straightforward and unimpressive. The same can be said about the combat, mainly because it’s very cumbersome to drop objects on top of moving enemies when you have so little precision. Thankfully, at least the graphics are decent, even if they look a tad too basic for this day and age.

Even if it has its share of flaws, Toricky is still a pretty tantalizing game, but you really need a lot of patience to deal with its awkward mechanics and lack of polish. Hence, it can be fun under the right conditions, especially if you are willing to make a few concessions.