Review: Paper Monsters
Score:
85%
Here's a nice 'grower' for you. Steve popped in Mobot Studio's latest platform game Paper Monsters into the flow of short stories here on All About Windows Phone, and after that popped over a note to me saying that I really should review it because I would like it. He was right, and you know what? I think the majority of our readers will like it too.
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0.01
Buy Link | Download / Information Link
Paper Monsters is a classically styled platform game. You play the game in a 2D 'plane' of platforms, gaps, monsters, and collectibles. This brings the control system back to the classic left/right/jump with nothing else getting in the way, but that doesn't mean the designers and artists have left you in a flat land.
First up, the 2D plane you are in has 3D depth, and through an aggressively short depth of field you get a wonderful physical feel to the world. Simple controls with complex level design is a good combination. And then you see another set of platforms far off on the horizon... 'Hello, how do I get there?' you think, as the eternal platforming question comes to mind. 'How about this pipe in front of me?'
Yes, that should do it. Suddenly you are far off in the distance, collecting extra coins and doing your best to reach one of three golden paperclips that populate each level of Paper Monsters. You are using the same controls and the same game mechanics are being employed, but this extra layer of depth and shifting point of view keeps the game fresh by breaking up a potential monotonous viewpoint. You might even find an alternative path through the current level in the background.
To make a modern platform game work, you need to think just far enough outside the box to make it all look and feel new, but also be close enough to the genre norms that the game remains accessible. I'm happy to write that Paper Monsters does just that.
Inspired by the physical papercraft model style, the world is populated with boxy heads and waddling bodies. This gives the game a very distinctive look, and the developers have coupled that with lots of bright colours. Most of the scenery is animated as well, so there is always something happening on screen, giving the world a sense of being lived in while you are playing. Although the game play is slow and steady, frame rates are high in the game and keep up with the moment and action.
The other major choice you have to make when designing a platform game is to decide on the speed of your character. You can go for a fast style (Sonic) or a slower more deliberate style (early Super Mario). Paper Monsters goes for the slower approach. That's a good call for a mobile device. Even though the touch-screen controls are accurate, they're never as good as a physical controller, so a slower game compensates for the slower reaction time any touch-screen is going to give a game.
One thing that feels very old-school in Paper Monsters is momentum, or the lack of it. When you stop pushing left, you stop immediately. You can twist left and right in the air with no visible means of changing direction. Modern platformers have used inertia as a game characteristic for some time now, and it's strange to play a title without it. Again though, on a mobile device with less screen real estate, and some of that covered by your thumbs to control the game, this reduction in complexity is worthwhile.
As for the actual controls, tap on the right side of the screen to jump, and a virtual left/right control stick on the left hand side and away you go. The only other thing to note is that you can double jump (tap-tap) to get extra height on a jump. When you first start playing, I think most people will use this all the time to get high enough over the enemies on the level to land on their heads, but as you play you'll find you can be a bit more accurate on a single jump, preserving the double jumps to get extra height and reach the awkwardly placed mushrooms, flowers, and unopened presents that dot each level.
The majority of the items you collect reward you with silver or gold coins. These can be used to buy extra outfits for your lead character (a robot that looks suspiciously like a papercraft style origami cut-out, hence the name of the game). This is a nice aesthetic touch, but the outfits have no impact on the game play, so the fashion catwalk here is for the completionist who's ready to grind though the game multiple times to have every single combination.
Let's be honest, the majority of people will play Paper Monsters as a 'once through and done', with no returning to older levels once the game is completed. The mini-games included are a nice variant to the main game (such as dash, where you will constantly run to the right and your only control is jump), but the four worlds, each with four levels (3 regular and an end of world Boss level) are what you are buying with your 99c/79p.
The complex design on show here, as well as the inventive use of the pipes and backgrounds, shows a lot of attention to detail. Paper Monsters might feel a touch short level wise, but the levels you have are all exquisite in detail and playability.
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at