Arcadia Colony has recently been released for the Nintendo Switch, and it’s a game that has brought me moments of joy as well as frustration, and I plan on detailing it all for you in this review. Arcadia: Colony is a Metroidvania title, and for those of you that are not familiar with this style of game, it basically means that it’s an action-adventure platformer with non-linear exploration and progression.
In my review of Arcadia: Colony, I plan on touching on many different aspects of the game including the story, gameplay, difficulty, controls, and replayability. My goal here is to provide you with more than enough information so you can determine if this game is worth your time or not.
Let’s dive right in.
What Is Arcadia Colony?
Arcadia: Colony is available to play on Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and was created by an indie studio called Kibe Software House. In Arcadia Colony, you are tasked with saving a peaceful colony of animals from the “People of the Sky”. The People of the Sky have attacked your colony, and there are huge bird-like puppet bosses that are scattered throughout the world. As you play throughout the game and work to save your home, you’ll learn more about the story, gain new abilities, and solve a vast array of puzzles.
You’ll play as three characters, Airi the bunny, Enji the porcupine, and Tazpo the mole. Each character brings with them a special skill or ability that will help you complete the game’s puzzles. You can switch to each character at will, and in some cases will need to use a combination of their skills in order to achieve victory.
Since Arcadia: Colony is a Metroidvania title the story isn’t necessarily told in a linear fashion. The map is relatively large, and you’ll end up going through many of the same sections repeatedly to make sure that you’ve completed all objectives and uncovered all of its secrets.
How Was It?
I wasn’t really sure what to make of Arcadia: Colony at first. The game’s premise really didn’t interest me at the start, and I wasn’t a die-hard fan of the game’s anime-esque art style, but be that as it may, I did have some enjoyable experiences playing this game.
The Gameplay
Overall the gameplay is not that all inventive, but it gets the job done. If I had to describe Arcadia Colony’s gameplay in one word I’d say challenging, with a capital “C”. Don’t be fooled by the game’s vibrant colors and cartoony art style as this game can get difficult, so much so that it can get downright frustrating at times.
Most of the movements are fairly repetitive, and it doesn’t take very much time to master the game’s basic movement. But once you feel like you’ve got it down, the game ramps up the challenges.
One of the hardest parts for me has to deal with some of the game platforms you’ll have to jump on. Sometimes it felt as if my character just slid right off, and I thought this might have been a glitch at first, but after reaching out to the games publisher I was able to confirm that this is an intended feature.
Now, if you’re someone who enjoys difficult games, then Arcadia: Colony is the game for you, but if you’re someone who is up for something a little more casual just know that some parts of the game may make you rage quit. Especially, when you’ve fallen off a platform more than a few dozen times.
Even though it can be a challenge to complete some of the game’s puzzles, I do like that Arcadia: Colony doesn’t severely punish you for your mistakes. If you fall off a platform, and lose all of your lives you’ll begin at the the most recent checkpoint, which usually isn’t far off from the puzzle you were working on.
The Visual and Background Music
One of the biggest selling points of this game I’ve read in its description is the anime-esque art style. Now I did mention earlier that I wasn’t a fan of this, and I stand by that statement. The art is great on the three main characters you’ll play as, and I can see the anime inspiration in the bosses, but that’s about as far as it goes. I’m not a fan of the overall design of the level. The game tends to have this really soft fuzzy look to it I’m not a fan of, but I do think this is a small thing and I’d have to say that it didn’t hurt my gameplay experience.
The game’s background track is okay as well. It’s not something that will blow you away by any means, but it does fit the game’s overall setting in my opinion.
Replayability
I spent quite a bit of time with Arcadia: Colony and wasn’t able to beat it during my playthrough. I think this is a very good sign if you’re someone that is concerned about the length and potential replayability aspects of this game. With this type of game, there aren’t any multiplayer or co-op options but that’s not needed here.
Arcadia: Colony is one that you can play in your spare time, and keep progressing your way throughout the map until you beat it, and the map is a pretty good size. You will have to play many areas of the map multiple times, and even progress through them backward since you’ll gain access to previous areas with new abilities, which is pretty fun.
What I Liked
There are many aspects of Arcadia Colony I liked. I did enjoy the game’s puzzles, even though they can get extremely frustrating at times. I would say that it was difficult to put the game down when I focused on reaching a specific location to explore more.
I also think this game’s price point at just under $15.00 is relatively fair for what you’re getting. With Arcadia Colony you’re not getting a huge over the top story, it’s a game that knows what it is and tries to achieve that to the best of its ability.
What I Didn’t Like
I will put the game’s controls under the dislike column. The mechanics are relatively simple, and you’ll primarily use only a few buttons while playing, but there are many times it simply felt like my buttons wouldn’t register. This would lead to me sliding off of a platform, or falling to my death, which is extremely frustrating.
I also would like there to be more rewards sprinkled throughout the game. You have to complete the game’s puzzles, and many that can be challenging as I’ve mentioned, but there isn’t any type of reward at the end. It’s just challenging puzzle after challenging puzzle. I think it would be nice to add something as a reward, whether it’s a new ability, character skin, or even some type of additional story element. This would help provide some type of additional motivation to keep completing the games many puzzles.
Final Thoughts
Arcadia Colony is a game that can provide you with a bit of fun, but it’s one that I find very tough to give a rating. It’s a tough, vibrant, 2D platformer that simply tries to provide you with a fun experience. It knows what it is, and doesn’t try to provide you with anything beyond that.
After some careful thought, I’ve decided to give Arcadia Colony a score of 7 out of 10. It can be enjoyable, but I do not expect this game to blow most gamers away. For its very low price, it’s definitely one that is at least worth checking out if you’re in the market.