Pronty (The Worst Part of Zelda as a Setup for One of the Best New Metroidvanias)
I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a water level. I personally believe that every mediocre game has to check off the “water level” box to make it feel true. Yet Pronty, a seemingly cutesy indie metroidvania, took that and made it the sole focus. But, in the end, they blew me out of the water with how well the game played, and furthermore how interesting the world was to explore. To me, this game ranks among Hollow Knight and Cuphead in terms of pushing the genre forward for the best underwater gameplay mechanics I’ve ever experienced and its subtle world building. Water levels suck, yet Pronty does not. The entire game is underwater, with a cursory friend Bront doing the heavy lifting for attacks. The entire game is about positioning and attacking with your spear-like companion, whether dashing through the enemy for bonus damage or charging up and defending from the onslaught. It’s also unbelievably streamlined, with attacks and dashes chaining together for effectively fun combat that makes you feel anything but sluggish. You feel a bit like an underwater god. However, that doesn’t mean you are the only thing in the sea that feels like a god.
What drew me into this game most was the spin on the characters. Pronty does an exceptional job at not only making you intrigued to take the enemy down, but asking how the enemy got there in the first place. Different enemies are found in different biomes and represent the changes to the area appropriately. Special mention to the red areas within the game that come almost out of left field, and make this game feel much more grim than you’d expect. Don’t let the cute titular character fool you, either, it’s a dark game that has fantastic controls and excellent world-building crammed into one of the most surprising games I’ve played in a long time. My personal recommendation is if you’re looking for a game to play this month, pick up Pronty, it might just make you a fish out of water (I swear I’m done with the puns don’t fire me).
Written by Steve, Cleaver of Plebian Flesh
Pronty
18Light Games Ltd., FunZone Games (developers) 18Light Games Ltd., CE-Asia, 樂磚 Joy Brick, Mayflower Entertainment (publishers)
5 / 5
