Tuesday 22 October 2013

RM game review - WOMB

Developer: iToken




Although WOMB was made in RPG maker, it tends to play more like a horror puzzle game in space. Your name is 36D and you wake up from cryo sleep on a dark spaceship all alone, trying to remember what your mission was and attempting to find everyone else aboard the ship. As you begin your search, you start hearing a female voice that’s guiding you along but also taunting you at the same time. Will you find your way back home and survive, or will you go insane and die?

As you progress through the game, you get to solve puzzles, uncover mysteries and strange phenomena, and view various flashbacks which provide insight on the backstory. The game doesn’t feature any battles with monsters or other enemies. It is more about simply uncovering the story bit by bit and it does so very well. Intense, dark atmosphere of isolation really adds to the whole mysterious feel that the game has going for it.



There are times when the game changes the pace a bit and introduces something new, like for example getting a chance to travel through space and mine planets for potential fuel with the help of a specialised robot.

Another feature that I really enjoyed and what I haven’t seen before in other RM games is a clever placement of various video clips. Those usually tend to play during flashbacks and key scenes and they give the game an extra bit of immersion. In addition to video clips, we also get to hear onboard computer voice in certain areas, which once again adds to the immersion and gives the game a more professional feel.



There are some drawbacks to the game, like some passability issues, the walking speed being too slow, and at times it simply being hard to know where to go next and what to do. Sometimes it can be because of the instructions not being too clear, other times it’s simply due to most areas being too dark and it can be easy to miss doorways and other vital elements.

However, all in all, WOMB has an interesting, well-developed story, and most of all an absolutely jawdropping conclusion that will stick with you once you’ve completed the game.


You can find more info on the game and its download link HERE.

Go HERE for the iToken's website.