‘Reggie: The Game’ is a promising, gravity-defying, and engaging platformer
Playing with gravity in platformers is nothing new; Super Mario Galaxy is a good example of the concept done right, but limbo also did a commendable job in the later stages of his short campaign. However, is it possible to control gravity throughout the entire game? That’s a pretty new one (shh, Gravity race And VVVVVV fans), but if our hands-on time with the demo gives Reggie: Game If anything, we’ll be in for a treat when it officially launches in 2025.
To use its full name, Reggie, his cousin, two scientists, and quite possibly the end of the world. is a 2D platformer from Dutch developer Degoma in which you navigate levels by flipping the world’s gravity, allowing you to actually fly up to the ceiling and back down, or even zigzag through the air, smacking enemies in the head (or butt) as you go. It’s quite similar to VVVVVVV in some ways, but the ability to flip gravity while in mid-air and use physics to control your momentum makes this game quite different.
We recently sat down to speak briefly with Degoma founders Gloria and Frank Garcia and tested four of the game’s 25 levels via an early PC build. Despite only testing a small portion of the full game, we came away feeling pretty excited and optimistic about Reggie, though we also have a few minor concerns that we hope will be put to rest early on before its full launch in 2025.
The first thing we noticed was its incredibly charming presentation. The visuals are reminiscent of modern animated films like Adventure Timeand this is reinforced by the catchy, upbeat soundtrack. We did notice a slight inconsistency with the quality of the music from level to level, although we suspect this may not be representative of the final product. Additionally, we were immediately captivated by Reggie himself; his design is simple but bursting with personality, and we suspect he will continue to have a long life beyond this first title.
It’s also surprisingly cinematic at times. For the most part, the environments and backgrounds are largely static, but the second demo level shows a giant red vortex sucking in rocks and trees while warping the background. It’s both fast and epic, and we can’t wait to see what else Degoma has in store for the full game.
In terms of gameplay, the gravity feature feels intuitive enough that anyone can easily grasp it, but you’re still capable of moving through levels at exceptional speeds once you’ve mastered it. familiar with how physics works. There’s no limit to how often you can flip gravity, but if you use it to effectively float in the air, your momentum will gradually slow until you can’t move forward at all. again. Therefore, it’s great that you can cover greater distances, but you’ll have to be careful not to lose momentum when there’s no platform above or below you.
It’s surprisingly challenging, especially in the later stages. By default, you have three ‘cards’ that represent how many times you can take damage before dying. Enemies are plentiful, so you need to be careful where you land, but there are also plenty of opportunities to fly off the map. What’s great, though, is that there are fun, customizable death animations depending on how you die, so we found ourselves deliberately getting hit just to see what Reggie would say.
Our main concern at this stage is the lack of variety. The levels are visually unique, but we’re concerned that without interesting puzzles to solve along the way, the game might just be a rehashed version of Flappy Bird. The unique visuals and charm were enough to keep us entertained during our playthrough, but we’re hoping for more in the final game. Thankfully, those who enjoy co-op will be pleased to see an additional player join in as Reggie’s cousin, which adds some spice to the otherwise casual gameplay.
As for this ridiculous title? Gloria Garcia says that Degoma’s hope is that the game is successful enough to spawn a sequel. That being said, since the first game essentially told a story, a potential sequel would revolve around this with its own unique name. Makes sense to us; hopefully Reggie, His Cousin, Two Scientists, and Likely the End of the World will be successful – if only for the sequel’s name.
Thanks to Gloria and Frank, as well as Kit and Krysta at Never A Minute for organizing this event.
Reggie, his cousin, two scientists, and quite possibly the end of the world are aiming to launch on Switch in 2025. Do you have Reggie on your Switch wishlist? What makes for gravity-defying gameplay? Leave a comment with your thoughts below.
