"As a huge fan of the studio's past work with its romance RPG Haven , I was eager to put on some climbing gear and see what the team had waiting for me at the top of its rocky mountain. But each time I turned the game back on, I felt like I was struggling to get a foothold in its dense, cumbersome climbing."
"In most games that have you climbing and doing cool parkour tricks, simply pushing your analog stick in the right direction will have your hero pretty autonomously accounting for every gap between handholds, with the developer having painstakingly crafted a path for you to cross that miraculously accounts for where the character's feet are going to go as you reach for your next conveniently placed grip."
"I spent my time with methodically charting a course up the side of a cliff, hoping that by the time I reached the halfway point I'd have somewhere for both feet and both hands to rest, lest I find myself tumbling down a chasm after my limbs grew weak from all the exertion. Much like in real rock climbing, your climbing in rapidly oscillates"
The Game Bakers' climbing game requires independent control of heroine Aava's four limbs, forcing deliberate, methodical movement. Controls demand swapping between limbs while managing stamina, leading to precise but often cumbersome inputs. Climbing alternates between smooth, momentum-driven stretches and sudden, punishing roadblocks where limbs weaken quickly if a secure hold isn't found. Camera angles and Aava's torso sometimes obscure limb positions, complicating input and timing. The intentional design yields satisfying successes but frequent frustration, with the control scheme and pacing making progression feel earned yet occasionally alienating for players seeking more fluid, automated traversal.
Read at Kotaku
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