A teenage red-haired girl arduously drags a sword along the ground by both arms - the strain of the weapon’s weight evident in her slow, determined movements, hunched posture, and dust cloud created by the sword’s friction with the ground. But she pushes on, understanding that the fate of the world is in her hands.
It’s a poignant image, and one that accompanies you through the entirety of Graffiti Games and Triplevision Games’ new Metroidvania game, Mable & The Wood.
The Metroidvania genre has unearthed some of the best brains in game development in recent years, so it’s a challenge for a new game to find that unique hook and make its own mark. Three years on from its successful Kickstarter campaign, Mable & The Wood has all the foundations of a Metroidvania: non-linear 2D exploration, a growing repertoire of abilities, and a beautiful pixel-art style evocative of the early 90s.
But like every great game, Mable is unafraid to twist things pretty radically within its genre. That hulking zweihander sword you’re dragging? Well, you can’t use it. Nor can you sprint, jump or kill anything using regular attacks.
So how do you traverse this twinkling but dangerous fairytale world? Here you have a choice.
Firstly, you can follow the prophecy conveyed to you at the start of the game and hunt down the great beasts of the world. You attack enemies using magic powers, such as ‘fairy form’ which lets you fly across the screen with your sword following behind you, damaging all enemies in its path. You can also shapeshift into any of the bosses you kill, among them a giant spider, anthropomorphic mole, or giant eagle.
There’s a twist upon this twist however. The more you use your shapeshifting powers, the more colour you drain from the ailing world. Overuse these powers, and you may find yourself accelerating the end of the world instead of stopping it. This will affect your path through the game and shape the world around you, with new areas opening up on the overworld map while others disappear.
So, taking cues from optional-combat games like the wonderful Undertale, Mable lets you take a non-violent approach too, using secret pathways and your own dexterity to avoid killing creatures in the game, including the bosses. You can complete the entire game without killing a single creature, and this will dictate what kind of world is left at the end of your quest.
This adds a dimension to Mable that you rarely see in other Metroidvanias, where the world and story tend to progress in a linear, prescribed way. Your playstyle will fork your journey off in unexpected directions, and its enigmatic morality system defies the norm of slashing your way mercilessly through every level. It’s a game that forces you to utilise the skills you gain along the way, but also think about whether you really want to use them on every creature you encounter.
Mable & The Wood is out now on Steam, and can be picked up for a modest £10/$15.
