Supraland offers a unique Metroidvania experience within a sandbox
A literal sandbox
Now and again there is a video game that catches your attention in a way you were not expecting. This is the case with Supraland, a first-person adventure title that I immediately felt compelled to play after coming across it. Describing itself as “a mix between Portal, Zelda and Metroid” the game takes place in a child’s sandbox. Promising a Metroidvania experience full of exploration, puzzles and fighting, I was interested to see if this rather unique looking title could perhaps be my next hidden gem.
The first thing that drew me into Supraland was the fact it is a literal sandbox experience. You’ll take control of a small red person as they explore a child-made world within a sandbox that is full of colourful and appealing visuals. Don’t be fooled by the visuals though as the gameplay has been carefully crafted to offer players of all levels an engaging experience. With a focus on exploration, puzzles and fighting, players will need to master each of these systems to effortlessly adventure through the world of Supraland.
Mastering the gameplay however is not as daunting as it might sound thanks to how well it has been crafted. Fully embracing the Metroidvania experience, the gameplay is ever-evolving within Supraland. You’ll start off with a limited set of moves and abilities but with each step forward be unlocking more options to help you overcome any challenge. These come both as passive abilities, such as more health, and in the form of weapons and abilities that can be used in combat and exploration.
One example of this is that early on you are given the ability to spawn a purple cube at the tap of a button. This can be used to press buttons, provide a step up to an otherwise unreachable ledge, dropped on enemies and much more. By designing the world and abilities to work in conjunction, Supraland is able to deliver on the Metroidvania experience in a way that is so rewarding for players. Once more, just because you don’t have a particular ability at a given time, you don’t hit a dead end as there is always more than one route to take.
Another element of Supraland that makes the title so enjoyable is the number of references and jokes you will encounter throughout your playthrough. Often such content can feel out of place within a game but here it all fits surprisingly well. Most of these are also found after completing a challenging section and they feel like part of the reward as much as the progress you have made. Playing through Supraland without a smile on your face is very hard because the game does a fantastic job of making sure you’ll enjoying every second of it.
Though Supraland has been created with child-like visuals in mind, the overall visual presentation of the title is rather clever. Objects within the world fit within that idea of exploring a world created by a child but each one is clearly defined. It is easy to see at a glance what is harmful to the player and what isn’t. The use of audio and visual effects also help communicate to the player what is happening allowing for solid reliability. Sure, the bloom might be a bit high for some players taste but as a whole the presentation is impressive while also running at a stable framerate throughout.
Supraland is a rather unique title both in terms of gameplay and presentation, but one that captures the attention of the player for hours. Easily one of the best titles I’ve played so far this year, you’ll find it hard to put this title down. With hours of engaging and satisfying gameplay all within a complex yet carefully crafted world, Supraland does so much right. It is hard to really think of any negatives for the title and I highly recommend you check it out if you’ll looking for a first-person adventure title that is a little bit different.
Supraland is available now for PC.
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