Game Review: To Leave
by Bryan Scheidler
Gaming company Freaky Creations recently sent me their latest game To Leave. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this game but let me first start by saying I haven’t finished it yet. It isn’t from a lack of trying either, this game has a very steep difficulty curvet. Before I get into the gameplay lets first talk about design of the game. Visually this game is beautiful, and the first few levels you are just trying to take it all in. It has an astetic that feels very much like the animation in a Gorillaz music video. Very quickly though you won’t have time to waste on admiring the scenery as the game does have a timed element to it. The story seems to be intrinsically tied to the visuals of the game and I am sure there is some deeper connection here. There is a sense of mystery and dread as you progress through the game and I am not entirely sure you get a happy ending if you win.
Once again I didn’t beat the game so I can’t say one way or another , but this was definitely the sense that I got while playing. The reason I was unable to finish the game was due to the rage inducing levels you have to pass in order to progress the story. The first few levels are fairly kind to you but the difficulty ramps up exponentially and by the 4th level your patience will be tested. Each level is timed and you can add more time to your clock by picking up glowing blue orbs. The difficulty comes into controlling your character as you navigate a maze of tight corridors, flying bullets, large smashing objects and more. If you touch anything you get sent back to the last check point and all the while your time keeps ticking away.
If it wasn’t for how compelling the story and the mystery of the this game is I would have given up a while ago. However, I find myself drawn back nearly every day to take another shot at the game to try and get past my current form of purgatory just so I can learn more about what is going on. Do I recommend To Leave? Yes I do, it is visually great with a compelling story. Although mainly I recommend it because I need someone more skilled than I to beat it and tell me what is going on, but fair warning it may drive you crazy.
You can get To Leave on STEAM HERE
