While not all indie games are going to be masterpieces and it can take a bit to actually find games that are true gems without it already being popular, I think it’s safe to say that Out There Somewhere, a game developed by MiniBoss, is a game that you don’t want to miss out. I’m not sure if it will take off, but this is one of the most cleverest and most fun puzzle games that I’ve played in a while.
A Game of Teleportation
You're that small guy in the upper right corner...
I’ve said before that you can expect indie games to be a little bit on the different side, providing some unique gameplay. And with this game, we have a cool concept that involves teleporting. You shoot your teleportation gun, and you end up to where you shot at. With a simple concept like that, they start pulling off all kinds of neat tricks with their clever level design.
There are times when jumping while teleporting becomes a challenge in this game’s level design, giving you a sort of momentum to reach higher places. The game also throws these beams in the level design where one beam won’t let you teleport at all if you hit it, while another will let you, and the last beam will send your teleport signal up to the ceiling, and you’ll end up there.
Out there somewhere is just really fun! I was feeling really satisfied when I overcame some of the puzzles this game was throwing at me, and also testing my reflexes, trying to do everything within time. The reason why they’ve made this game so fun is because that they were able to capitalize on their simple concept and bring up new challenges that still uses this concept, bringing in cool levels and clever puzzles.
Some Rad Music!
I really couldn’t let the music go without it’s own subheading. The music in this game is really pretty awesome. It’s catchy, it sets the mood of the game, and it’s definitely one of the more memorable parts of the game.
Unfortunately, not all of the game is exactly great though. For instance…..
Things that feel a bit out of place
For one thing, Out There Somewhere starts off with a space mission. Not that the space part isn’t fun, but it just kind of didn’t fit with the rest of the game. I mean, the reason why it feels out of place is because it feels like they put the space part in there just for a sake of a story.
I'm not sure what the subtitles say up there, but I imagine it's something like "All your base are belong to us!" Am I right? har har har
Not that putting a story in this game was a bad thing. It kind of gave them an excuse to add in conversation with some cool guys you get to meet on this mysterious planet you crashed on. And those parts are also kind of a highlight for the game as well. But they could have done it without the space missions though.
I mean, they could have done just a quick cutscene that sets everything up where you crash on the planet, and you need a part back to get back up, which is what they kind of do, but they tack on the space mission because………they’d thought it’d be cool?
Everything after that is fine though, but then they send you back on another space mission to fight the final boss. After the game makes you do all those cool teleporting tricks, it just doesn’t exactly fit in with the rest of the game. A final boss fight that does make sense is when it makes you take advantage of your teleporting gun. In fact, they actually do that, but then it sends you off into space so you can have that final confrontation.
It would have been fine if the space missions were a bigger part of the game then just the beginning and end, maybe they could have done some clever gameplay mechanics with that part of the game, but as it is, it just kind of felt like it got in the way.
And then game ends too soon….
This is the second time this has happened to me. It’s not exactly in the games favor when it ends and it could have featured so much more. I mean, I don’t think this game even took me an hour to beat. It really feels like that even if they could have added about, even just 30 minutes more, this game wouldn’t have exactly felt as short.
Teleporting to Success!
In the end, I do absolutely recommend Out There Somewhere. It’s just plain fun! Had it been longer and a little more fleshed out, even with the space missions still there, it could have been a full on masterpiece. I mean, at least from where I stand. But, as it is, it’s just really, really good! It’s only five dollars, and the gameplay and uniqueness of the game is what makes it worth it. So, check this game out. It’s really cool!
BoG’s Out There Somewhere Score 8.0
Why so high? Really fun gameplay with a cool concept and with cool level designs
Why so low? It’s really, really short and the space missions don’t really add to anything
Sean Conner
Latest posts by Sean Conner (see all)
- The Night of the Rabbit Review - June 7
- Remembering Roger Ebert - April 23
- The Night of the Rabbit Preview - April 20
- The Fallacy of the Video Game Review - March 25
Loading ...
