Nobody Saves The World – Form And Function
Nobody Saves the World is as charming and funny as Drinkbox Studios’ Guacamelee series. Bolstered by wonderfully challenging dungeons, Nobody’s core pillars of body swapping and ability customization go a long way to making this a memorable adventure, though a paper-thin world and underwhelming rewards keep this Nobody from being the best Somebody possible.
Within the amusing story, only one wizard has the power to shut down the disgusting fungal calamity that’s devastating the kingdom. The problem is that this guy is not to be found. Instead, a pale, featureless wimp takes up that mage’s powerful wand. This Nobody is able to shapeshift into useful forms such as a robot, bodybuilder or rat. Each comes with an active ability and a special attack, along with many more. The process of unlocking new abilities and leveling up my existing forms was fun. The skin-specific challenges unlock more features and become available when certain ranks have been reached.
Nobody Saves the World’s progression hinges on the constant loop of completing these quests. You will receive precious experience as well as stars. These currency can be used to unlock the legendary dungeons. Unfortunately those same rewards apply to side missions that I received from NPCs. Most quests feel like a drop in an XP bucket. Although progress bars are a great way to get a dopamine rush, it would be nice to have passive skills or stat boosters for some activities. These are limited to the unsatisfying gold pumps from vendors.
Nobody’s top-down, hack-and-slash gameplay reminds me of an amalgamation of a classic 2D The Legend of Zelda and The Binding of Isaac. Some character forms at Nobody’s disposal wield more traditional weapons like swords and bows, while others use streams of lighting, tears from a slug, or a swift kick from a horse. It’s not afraid to tread well into goofy and mildly disturbing territory. It can take abilities from different forms and use them to create the ultimate dungeon monster. It is amazing how many quests require you to equip non-native abilities. I find it forces me into a different strategy sometimes, but at the price of combat effectiveness. It always helps me come up with a great combo that will work down the road.. My favorite combination is the Magician. He already infects his enemies with tigers and rabbits, so I love equipping him to an attack that kills all those who are not part of my army.
In the dungeons, you will find some of the most challenging and fun action. There are a number of floors to conquer in these castles. However, there’s a catch—every dungeon sports a dangerous modifier, which often upset my preferred loadout. You’ll usually be forced to build something special to clear them. To deal 9999 damage, one dungeon can modify the damage taken by any attack. Because I was armed with the correct tools, it was easy to come up with solutions that would allow me to survive. I only had to choose which of them to use. Modifiers allowed me to experiment with different forms of customization. It is extremely satisfying to figure out what build works best.
Although the world beyond the dungeons is visually stunning and varied, it lacks an exploration pulse. Except for some scattered guild quests, the overworld doesn’t offer the same challenge or complexity as the dungeons. It feels uninteresting and flat as a consequence. The depth of traversal is limited to certain forms that can swim in bodies of water and fit through narrow corridors. It is made easier by the Jim Guthrie music.
Even with its small flaws, Nobody Saves the World had me hooked from the beginning. As I worked my way up through the form ranks in search of the next body or ability, Nobody Saves the World never let me down. I find it most enjoyable when the deceptive yet manageable combat scenarios are unleashed. This keeps me on my toes in order to discover how to survive. It provided me with plenty of loops that kept me going, which was a great way to justify spending the effort to save my little world.
#Saves #World #Form #Function
