Title: Video Game Review: Severed – Slice 'n Dice, Very Nice
Author: MG Thabo
Recovered Author: MG Thabo
Published Date: 2016-05-16
Original URL: https://geeknode.co.za/2016/05/video-game-review-severed-slice-n-dice-its-very-nice
Wayback URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20170708063257id_/http://www.geeknode.co.za/2016/05/video-game-review-severed-slice-n-dice-its-very-nice/
Recovery Confidence: high
Categories: Video Game Review
Tags: drinkbox studios, dungeon crawler, featured, game review, PS Vita, review, rpg, severed, severed review, video game review

- Developer DrinkBox Studios
- Where we got our copy DrinkBox Studios
- Genre RPG
- Game modes Single Player
- Players 1
- Reviewed on PS Vita

- MG Thabo

- 1 year ago

- 0 0

Ever played a game that you were sure made you look like a complete idiot from the outside? Motion-control games, VR and touchscreen games all have the potential to make you look a mad person or just someone that really needs to go see a professional. Severed comfortably falls into this camp as a game that can make you look like you’ve smoked some of that good stuff, but it can also make you feel like you’ve had some of that said good stuff. The game is developed by DrinkBox Studios, the people most famous for their excellent indie platformer, Guacamelee. The game is a PS Vita exclusive which might surprise you since those haven’t existed since Donald Trump was still just the dude from the Apprentice.

The reason why it is on PS Vita and not on console is because it primarily relies on touchscreen controls, one of the Vita’s primary strengths as a handheld. The game takes place in an Aztec-esque fantasy world that incorporates DrinkBox’s signature visual presentation. The world is haunting, yet beautiful, with excessively creepy creatures, strange environments and a general sense of dread everywhere. Within this beautiful nightmare you play as a girl called Sasha. Her family has been murdered by some strange and powerful force and her arm has been severed from her body (you get it now?). Some freaky looking entity with a truly haunting voice gives her a magical sword and tells her to go find the bodies of her deceased family. The story doesn’t really take center stage and it is more of a framing device for the rest of the game, but there are some great moments and eclectic characters along the way.

The navigation for the game surprised me when I first got in control of the character. It plays almost like an old 90s “FPS” game where you could only move in four directions within a set map. You walk from room to room and you can only navigate in the cardinal directions. It would make more sense if you look at the gameplay trailer above, but don’t let the simple navigation system fool you. The game has two distinct areas of gameplay: exploration, and combat. The levels in Severed are quite vast and all of them contain a plethora of puzzles or navigational challenges. Sometimes it’s a simple door puzzle, sometimes it’s a multi-layered memory game. I wouldn’t describe the puzzles to be difficult, but they are complex to solve and often take quite a while before you make any progress.

The exploration is certainly the weaker of the two areas since it doesn’t really feel like you’re involved, but rather just a catalyst for forward progress. It is engaging in many ways, but I often found myself being slightly bored as I was doing the same puzzle over again in a different space. Some levels have special features associated with them that bring about new gameplay so it does make the effort to keep it fresh. While certainly not terrible, I’d rather consider the exploration to be functional. There are also a plethora of secrets to discover and the game has a metroidvania influence in the sense that you can only enter some areas once you have a prerequisite power. Some of these secrets can be pretty difficult to crack and you will feel like a genius when you figure out some vague instructions on some random tome on a pedestal.

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However, the exploration is but a means to get you to the true brunt of the game, the combat. To describe the combat in the most relatable and rudimentary way I possibly can, I’d say that it is like Fruit Ninja on crack with the fruit replaced with terrors from your top 5 nightmares. You use the touchscreen to swipe and attack enemies, but if you think that you can just go buck wild on an enemy, then you are sorely mistaken. The combat is an exercise in patience, skill and incredible multitasking. Each encounter has the potential to consist of multiple enemies, each with their own attacks and method of engagement. One enemy might only have a brief window of vulnerability while another might require you to take out individual parts first.

When an enemy attacks, you have the opportunity to parry the move, but you need to hit it at a certain angle or it will fail. Other enemies require you to whittle them down until they become vulnerable and some just need you to keep them in check. Each enemy has an indicator below them that signifies when they are going to attack and you need to be fast enough to counter those attacks or you will suffer a cruel fate. This in turn creates a combat environment where you are constantly on your toes and doing micromanaging while also at times just going buck wild with your swipes to deal as much damage as possible. The game gets progressively more intense and as enemies evolve and gain new abilities, the engagements get more and more frantic. The game certainly is an adrenaline rush at times and you will find yourself gasping for air after an encounter is finished because of how much you had to do and also you swiping back and forth like an absolute madman.

The combat requires precision and calculated actions, setting it apart from the apparent “mindless slasher” that you might believe it to be. There is also a Focus meter that fills up as you gain consecutive slices on enemies without being blocked. If this Focus meter is full and you deal a killing blow to an enemy, they will go into the air and you will get the opportunity to slice their limbs off one by one. These limbs are your currency in the game that you use to level up. Quite the gruesome leveling system, but it fits the game quite wonderfully. You only get a very brief window to do this severing ( do you get it now? ) and each monstrosity can drop a number of limbs. You use these limbs to upgrade your skills in a pretty extensive skill tree. These skills aren’t rudimentary either and have a significant impact on your combat capabilities.

As the game goes on, you will also unlock special abilities such as the ability to blind an enemy so that it doesn’t have the opportunity to attack and being able to devour buffs that the enemies might have and apply them to yourself. These add a whole new element to the game and as I’ve discovered, if you use them effectively, you can do some incredible things. You only get the powers once you have defeated some bosses and these boss fights are possibly the highlight of the game. They’re these multistage fights with terrifying colossi that test your skills to the max. They’re also visually fantastic with their own theme or style. It’s a shame that there aren’t more of these elaborate boss fights, but the ones you do get are more than sufficient.

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The combat has the potential to be incredibly satisfying when you’ve nailed down the patterns of the enemies and get the opportunity to slash the living daylights out of some malformed bastard. It also has the potential to be frustrating at times, where you can die pretty quickly, but more often than not, you’ve just not utilised the correct strategy to take the enemies down. It makes it almost like a puzzle at times where certain combinations of enemies spawn together and you need to figure out on the fly how to properly combat them. They can also get buffs during the later stages of the game that makes everything much more frantic. Enemies can have sped up attacks, health regen, more defense and so on. Make no mistake, the combat will require a lot from your brain and your fingers, making it pretty worthwhile.

The music for the game is very functional in its approach, employing traditional instruments and high intensity soundtracks for action moments, but they do tend to drone a bit more than they should. There isn’t a lot of variation in the songs as you explore and given that you can explore for quite a while, the soundtrack might become samey and tedious after a while.

The game clocks in at around 6 hours if you do not do any extended exploration such as going back to previous areas with new powers and such. There’s certainly a lot of game here and you will be satisfied with the length of it as it doesn’t overstay its welcome too much.

Severed may just be one of the last true innovative titles we see on the Vita. It’s a rollercoaster experience of frantic swiping, high intensity multitasking and exploration puzzles. And it’s really good. I have left the experience both with early onset RSI and a smile on my face, feeling like I’ve accomplished something great and enjoying every moment of it. It’s a shame that the exploration is so slow and at times tedious otherwise this game would have received a glowing recommendation. But it still receives a hearty recommendation and if you have a Vita, it’s an absolute must-have (you know, because there isn’t a lot on there).

Ever played a game that you were sure made you look like a complete idiot from the outside? Motion-control games, VR and touchscreen games all have the potential to make you look a mad person or just someone that really needs to go see a professional. Severed comfortably falls into this camp as a game that can make you look like you've smoked some of that good stuff, but it can also make you feel like you've had some of that said good stuff. The game is developed by DrinkBox Studios, the people most famous for their excellent indie platformer, Guacamelee. The game is a PS Vita exclusive which might surprise you since those haven't existed since Donald Trump was still just the dude from the Apprentice. The reason why it is on PS Vita and not on console is because it primarily relies on touchscreen controls, one of the Vita's primary strengths as a handheld. The game takes place in an Aztec-esque fantasy world that incorporates DrinkBox's signature visual presentation. The world is haunting, yet beautiful, with excessively creepy creatures, strange environments and a general sense of dread everywhere. Within this beautiful nightmare you play as a girl called Sasha. Her family has been murdered by some strange and powerful force and her arm has been severed from her body (you get it now?). Some freaky looking entity with a truly haunting voice gives her a magical sword and tells her to go find the bodies of her deceased family. The story doesn't really take center stage and it is more of a framing device for the rest of the game, but there are some great moments and eclectic characters along the way. The navigation for the game surprised me when I first got in control of the character. It plays almost like an old 90s "FPS" game where you could only move in four directions within a set map. You walk from room to room and you can only navigate in the cardinal directions. It would make more sense if you look at the gameplay trailer above, but don't let the simple navigation system fool you. The game has two distinct areas of gameplay: exploration, and combat. The levels in Severed are quite vast and all of them contain a plethora of puzzles or navigational challenges. Sometimes it's a simple door puzzle, sometimes it's a multi-layered memory game. I wouldn't describe the puzzles to be difficult, but they are complex to solve and often take quite a while before you make any progress. The exploration is certainly the weaker of the two areas since it doesn't really feel like you're involved, but rather just a catalyst for forward progress. It is engaging in many ways, but I often found myself being slightly bored as I was doing the same puzzle over again in a different space. Some levels have special features associated with them that bring about new gameplay so it does make the effort to keep it fresh.…

Video Game Review: Severed – Slice ‘n Dice, Very Nice

Video Game Review: Severed – Slice ‘n Dice, Very Nice

2016-05-16

MG Thabo

Swipe It Up

total - 8

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8

Severed is possibly one of the last true innovative titles on the PS Vita. With its frantic touchscreen controlled combat, unique and beautiful visual style and excellent presentation, Severed definitely gets a high recommendation. The exploration aspect can be a little boring and tedious at times, but it functions just fine. PS Vita owners, don't hesitate.

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MG Thabo

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Marko has played way too many games, listened to way too many metal albums and is probably taller than you. He is a qualified language and communication practitioner and likes to write about the good things in gaming.

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drinkbox studios · dungeon crawler · featured · game review · PS Vita · review · rpg · severed · severed review · video game review

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