I knew about Metrico+ well, I knew about the PS Vita game that released a few years ago. However I just knew about the game, I saw a couple of gameplay videos and I guessed it was yet another by the numbers puzzle platforming game... boy was I wrong.
If you have played Metrico on PS Vita two years ago, Metrico+ is just the big boys PC & PS4 version with Xbox One to follow soon, so basically a bigger better version with maybe some new levels and features... maybe. I don't know though as I don't know what's the story of the game. You wake up in this strange world governed by math that changes and morphs as you move through it.
As your avatar runs through this world, his or her actions change it and you'll have to in order to complete its intricate puzzles and continue on. The game starts very easy, but it quickly scales in difficulty, as much as I can say it expects maybe too much from you. I like when games challenge me in unexpected ways, but most of the times I know what tools I have at my disposal to solve a puzzle. Metrico+ does not do that. There are no tutorials, no hints, nothing to help you.
All of the puzzles, as I said, are affected by your actions. Jump and the platform rises, fall and it lowers. You move, platforms move. You shoot and explode these things that look like asterisks and stuff happens. Die, something happens. Restart, something else might happen. The interplay between these elements early on is fairly straightforward, but as you progress through the game things get crazy. I have not completed the game since I am stuck in a puzzle. There are many things that happen at the same time and I can't see the solution, I just can't.
I have not completed the game since I am stuck in a puzzle. There are many things that happen at the same time and I can't see the solution, I just can't. I tried to figure it out for an hour, nothing, so I decided to tweet to the developer. His response "...You'll need a bit of clever timing, that´s all."...no shit Sherlock. So I went back in and tried for another hour or so with no luck whatsoever. This is my biggest problem with the game.
While I like Metrico's overall minimalist nature with simple math oriented art style or the simple yet clever sound design and the non-existence of a literal story, I hated the lack of feedback given to the player. You get these "upgrades" during your play, but you are given no explanation on what they actually do or how they work. Then you have to solve some pretty intricate puzzles using what you have NOT learned till that moment and remember that playing pre-release means no Youtube walkthroughs. See the problem?
Maybe Metrico+ is designed by the devil. Maybe that puzzle is not impossible, just bloody difficult. Maybe I'm getting old and I am losing all my puzzle expertise I've raked in through the years. I really enjoyed my time with Metrico+, liked challenges it posed, but when the game got too hard, my brain just threw in the towel. I don't know, take what you want from this "review" since it's your time and money you'll be investing. Thanks for reading!
