I want shorter games with worse graphics, made by people who are paid more to work less and I’m not kidding. Pseudoregalia hits all these points perfectly, as far as I’m aware. I don’t know exactly how development at rittzler went, but it appears that they’re a one person studio. This can go one of two ways: either they overworked and underpaid themselves to finish their passion project, or they worked on it in their free time without the pressures of a studio around or publisher behind them. Whatever the conditions, I hope they’ve given themselves a well-earned break, because Pseudoregalia is an indie sensation.
Costing just £4.99 ($5.99), the game doesn’t look like much from itsSteam page. If you’re one of those who wants to see every wrinkle on Joel’s face in The Last of Us remaster, or needs their puddles perfectly reflective in Spider-Man, then this isn’t for you. Close this tab, find an article about Call of Duty, God of War, or whatever uninteresting triple-A has taken your fancy this week, and don’t come back. Unless you remember Ocarina of Time fondly that is, or you want more games with Titanfall levels of movement. Then stay, and welcome to the world of small games with great promise.
Related:That Ugly Hat In Baldur’s Gate 3 Is Definitely Cursed
While Mario 64 may be a more accurate comparison for Pseudoregalia’s inspiration, the castle environments just bring backOcarina of Timememories for my Zelda-pilled brain. The graphics are pulled straight from that beautifully blocky N64 and PS1 era where everyone was experimenting with the third dimension, but the mechanics are quite unlike anything I’ve played before.
The closest example I have isTitanfall 2, but it’s like you’re doing all that wallrunning while simultaneously doing the Mario 64 backwards-bum-jump that speedrunners use to get around. Pseudoregalia is simultaneously fluid and clunky, smooth and brittle, and there’s no good way to describe it. For such a bargain price, I have to urge you to just try it for yourself.
The movement is good at the start of the game, but it really comes into its own when you get some upgrades. Levelling up gives you an additional movement tech each time and little else, allowing you, Metroid-style, to open up new pathways through the weird castle and access areas you couldn’t before. Each trick is cool in itself, but when you learn to chain a few together, the possibilities are limitless. At times this feels like a systemic game a láThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomandBaldur’s Gate 3. you may’t build anything you want, or Fuse any items together to create weapons, and you can’t use your imagination to solve puzzles using a brainworm on a string, but there’s no way the designer could have thought of every possible application of the movement skills they implemented: they expect you to figure that bit out.
Combining wall runs with jumps and dashes can net you great height and horizontal thrust. Add on a ledge grab, another little bounce, and a slide cancel, and you’ve made it to a platform that you really feel like you shouldn’t have access to yet. When the map is this maze-like and confusing, you need every technique at your disposal in order to find its secrets.
To this point, I’ve mostly just spotted a glowing orb an extraordinary distance away and then tasked myself to get there. I need the orb, therefore I must learn how to move in the ways necessary to grasp it. It’s a fun way to play, even if not intended. Pseudoregalia is a brilliantly designed playground that is immense fun to move through and play around in. It’s a fiver. Play it. Have some fun for once.
