RobotGeek

Chester is a game that’s tricky to recommend. I sincerely enjoyed playing it, in fact, I loved moments of it, and the humour that permeated the design of the game made it one of the most enjoyable platformers that i’ve played in a while. Yet i’d still have a hard time ranting about it to my friends, despite the number of things it gets right, there are occasions where it’s confusing as to how, and why, it got the important bits wrong. While an update is coming that will fix a few of the issues I have with the game, I’d err on the side of caution approaching it. It has masses of potential, but that potential is unrealised at times.

Chester is a platformer which mixes a Megaman style of play (complete with ridiculous difficulty) with an almost surreal humour, fused with oddities and memes that give you a chuckle that is more hit than miss. In fact, the care taken with the presentation of Chester is entirely endearing;  from the death screen (which you’ll see a lot) to the ability to switch the art style of each level on the fly, it’s evident that there’s loads that has gone in to try and make sure the player is having as fun a time as possible.

Before I get onto the good points, being the pessimist I am, I’d like to address the issues I had whilst playing. Hopefully this means that you can understand why I have such difficulty recommending the game, because while none of the problems are deal breakers in any way, they definitely sour the experience.

When you boot up the game and load the first level, Chester kicks your ass. You’re new to the world, trying to get used to the concepts, but the introduction level instead throws you into the deep end without a chance to play with the mechanics in a comfortable environment. I’d say I’m a pretty good gamer, but I had my ass handed to me about 15 times before I’d completed the first level. This insane difficulty curve peaks and troughs throughout the game. While some levels are a complete cakewalk, others feel like they were made by the same designer of  I wanna be the guy and are damn sadistic. Some enemies feel cheap, (one follows you around while shooting at you, hovering slightly above you, making it almost impossible to dodge the projectiles), some levels are slightly unclear at times as to where to go, and some scenery makes detection of enemies near impossible.

This is possibly one of the most constant problems that the game has. There is so much going on, it’s hard to tell what is in the foreground and what isn’t. Too often, there was a rock in my way which I’d assumed was in the background and I’d unintentionally fall into a pit trying to jump through it, or a cloud I’d assumed was part of the background scenery was actually a platform I needed to jump on.

On a couple of levels, I just fell through the floor and died, and while the developers assure me that this is being fixed in the patch, it still pissed me off to no end.

Another misstep by the developer is the fact that the over-world itself isn’t good, at all. To get to the latest level you’ve unlocked if you quit the game for a while, you have to start at the beginning of the overworld map, and travel along a set path (think Super Mario 3′s overworld), going through each world until you get to the latest. It’s infuriating to have to go through 5 or more different screens just to get to one level. Even little things, such as the tutorial, are held back by design flaws, while the tutorial themselves are funny, the fact they cover half the screen when you run past them, means that you can’t see what you’re trying to learn.

The unfortunate problem with all this for me, is that the game does so much right as well.

Chester enables you to change into a variety of characters on the fly, much like Megaman’s armour abilities in Capcom’s best known franchise. However, these characters reflect on the developers sense of humour, from a mustachio’d gentleman, to a “brother” who would “prefer to be plumbing than running around, jumping” the character design is both fun and varied. However, these different characters aren’t purely aesthetic, each have different speeds, shot abilities, special attacks and jumping abilities, making each useful for certain situations. While some special abilities are worse than others, (The mime restores colour to the world around him, while another guy shoots freaking monocles out of his heads!) all are enjoyable to use.

The game also allows you to choose the art style for each level, with more becoming unlockable as you play through, incentivising you to look through past levels again. It’s a neat idea, and while the art styles are all cool, some benefit you more than others. 8-bit for example, removes some of the clutter around the platforms, making it easier to play, at the expense of the beautiful artwork that the default look has.

The level design on the whole is good, but there are instances where levels are atrocious. One particular level comes to mind in the second world, which ends up being like a maze, which made me almost want to quit playing and stop reviewing. It’s a shame as well, because most levels challenge your ability to dodge and duck and weave through the game, avoiding traps and enemies, it’s just that some levels feel cheap. Some enemies come in 4′s making it difficult to find a safe spot to jump, meaning you’re bound to lose life at times no matter what you do.

The gameplay itself is solid as well, the characters react well to your input, and shooting and jumping and dodging are a breeze, it’s just dampened by cheap level design and glitches.

The Aesthetics themselves are lovely, too. Like I said before, it seems like there is a bit too much going on at times, but on the whole, the art style is fantastic, and really benefits the game. The sound itself is fairly forgettable, but it’s sufficient while playing; none of the tunes stick in your head, but it’s not offensive or annoying either.

It’s a shame, as Chester could have been so much more than it is, instead of an ok platformer with some cheap level design and a myriad of glitches which occur during the level. Sadly, fantastic art direction and wit, combined with a decent amount of replayability, aren’t enough to stop this game feeling mediocre.