Review | The Forgotten Day

The Forgotten Day is a minimal, charming and down right challenging real time strategy (of sorts) made for Ludum Dare 36

In The Forgotten Day you start off as a single small robot on a strange dead planet. You can explore the land around you and collect pieces of scrap, either from destroying the red robots that spawn on this planet, or by heading off to steal parts that linger by the shrines of the red robots. These can be used in your base to unlock upgrades and purchase new robots. The first four symbols on the bottom of your screen in your base will build a robot, and the green symbol that looks like the top of a trident is your  characters upgrade.

You build up a small robot army and lead them to new locations and even swap between leaders. However, you’ll also have to contend with hordes of deadly red robots that roam the map. Defeat them and you’ll collect scrap from their battered carcass. Fail to defeat them, and fall to your knees as their victim, and it’ll be you that’s turned to scrap, and you will tear your hair out as you start all the way at the beginning once more.

The overall goal of The Forgotten Day is to destroy the five enemy shrines and carry the fires of each back to your base. Basically it bares a capture the flag element. This is easier said than done though, as with each fire collected, the red robot threat increases further, making the rush back to the base even more of a challenge. It’s a tough little game, but it’s a great minimalist take on the RTS genre. The pixel art animation is excellent and it’s a joy figuring out how to interact with the world, rather than feeling like an impossible task.

Each robot has its own unique name and title which is very cute makes you want to look after them a little bit more and care for them like they are your own..

The controls are somewhat different then most RTS games because WASD is used to control your robot leader, as opposed to the usual point-and-click system, LMB to shoot, space-bar to bring your army to where you are and if you need it there’s the left Control button that brings up the range circle of all the robots on screen.

The music suits the game so damn well. Being a sci-fi boffin for years now, this music is blissful as it captures being lost, serenity, and discovery all at the same time. I’ve even got the game running in the background just for relaxing to this electronic bliss. thank you so much Zminusone, if you want to know more about Zminusone check out their website here.

You’ll find that you’ll be just as immersed with the graphics, as you are with the music. The contrasting elements allow you to focus easily on the things you need to be focusing on. It’s a pixelated theme, and looks wonderfully artistic, and coloured with pastel colours and harsh blacks.

If one person can make a game this good during a Ludum Dare I would very much tell Motasashy (developer of The Forgotten Day) to keep his eyes and ears peeled as I think he’ll be working for someone bigger very soon if he so wishes it.

An RTS to remember.