Within Demo

Platformers can be pretty challenging on their own, let alone when more elements are added to the mix. As such, roguelike gameplay mechanics can go pretty well with the genre, especially if they are integrated responsibly and creatively. On the other hand, it’s difficult enough to make good platformers, not to mention good platformers with elements from other genres.

Within is a simple 2D platformer with roguelike gameplay mechanics in which you play the role of a brave knight who goes on a quest to destroy a handful of huge monsters. Given the fact that they are too big to be cut by the sword the normal way, the hero decides to kill the said monsters from inside, which means that he must slay them from within.

The first few seconds of gameplay feel exactly like a classic platformer, except much less refined and responsive. In fact, it really feels like very little of your input is actually registered by the game, especially when it comes to jumping. It’s clear that this is an early version and its purpose is to show the basics, but the poor quality does nothing but turn away players in the end.

The stages appear to be randomized every time you enter them, but the algorithm is sloppy and annoying, because you’ll often find yourself stuck and unable to continue. The wall jump ability is flawed and it rarely works as intended, which means that some of the portions are downright impossible to access and you have to restart the whole level in order to stand a chance.

Lastly, the visual quality is pretty low as well, even for a 2D platformer. In fact, there seems to be only one texture used for the background, which means that the game gets repetitive in a rush. Not much of a soundtrack to keep you company either, which is a shame, because the combat system is slow and pretty much broken as well.

All things considered, Within is not a bad game, it’s just horribly implemented. The developers need to put a lot more work into their idea in order to release it to the public, otherwise everyone is going to hate it without giving it a second chance. Hence, the concept itself is intriguing, but it’s impossible to enjoy any part of it at the moment. In case you want to encourage the developers, you can donate in the game's Kickstarter campaign.