Reviews:
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With a mix of classic cinematic platforming and adventure Babel does it’s own thing, but it isn’t all positives
There’s no question that The Library of Babel has a number of positives on its side. The game’s art style is distinctive and full of detail, it has a pretty rich narrative it is tapping into that delivers some grim surprises, and overall it has a number of gameplay types you’ll move between throughout. This does make for an interesting and often engaging experience. Unfortunately, the variety can also be the game’s weakness at times when elements aren’t all as well fleshed out as they could or should be. One example would be the platforming and more action-oriented elements, which harken back to the cinematic adventure style that feels like it’s having a moment once again, but isn’t implemented quite as cleanly as it should. Unfortunately the action can feel a bit too reminiscent of those older titles in that the controls don’t always feel as responsive or accurate as you’d hope, and it’s possible the great animations contribute to that problem. Another issue is that at times it can be pretty easy to lose the thread of what you’re supposed to be doing, where you’re supposed to be going, and what it is that’s standing in your way. Certainly paying close attention to all in-game dialogue (or perhaps reviewing it) can be critical to your success, but even then I ended up figuring out the solution to my roadblock in ways that felt more lucky than inherently intuitive. While perhaps it feels like I’m nitpicking the game, I’m just trying to be clear about some of its stumbles, even if on the whole it still stands out as a pretty solid and unique experience.
Justin Nation, Score:Good [7.7]