Analysis of Mayhem in Single Valley

Mayhem in Single Valley is a fast-paced adventure game with an eye-catching pixel-art design.

Developped by Fluxscopic Ltd. and distributed by TinyBuild, Chaos in the One Valley it’s a 2.5D action adventure with a lot of platform notes and some RPG elements. The aspect of the video game that stands out from all the others is undoubtedly the aesthetic aspect and this is precisely the case of this game which presents a nice graphic part aesthetics Pixel art.

The choices related to the visual aspect are also perfectly integrated into the decor and the theme of the video game, whose plot refers, in fact, to to sci-fi and horror classics for children of the 80s like the series stranger things.

Back to the 80s

In Mayhem in Single Valley we play Jack, a city boy after whom the game is named, about to leave his parents’ house to go to college. As he prepares to leave, Jack witnesses an inexplicable event: a humanoid creature, oddly dark in appearance, releases a kind of poison into the local aquifer. The effect of the contamination is not long in revealing itself: whoever comes into contact with the water, animal or person, turns into some sort of radioactive zombie

As has already been said, the video game is inspired by the works of the 80s, but he does it with conscience and a touch of parody. The almost total randomness of the events that trigger the adventure and the absolute naturalness with which the blame is shifted onto the protagonist represent some of the most common product features of this decade.

Platforms, puzzles and adventures galore

Chaos in the One Valley is characterized by fast-paced gameplay, where there are a lot of a few moments during which the player has time to think about the next step to take. As if that were not enough, just by being hit once by an enemy, we will die. Some technical features prevent the path from being too frustrating, as is the case with the clarity and simplicity of the actions to be taken. To progress, we will often have to solve puzzles or overcome platforming sequences, but in any case, the solution of these will always be in the correct interaction with the elements of the environment

To make these passages not so obvious and to keep the pace of the game high, there are the constant presence of many enemies. Also in relation to these, the solution is to interact with the environment: we don’t have the ability to fight zombies, but we can use certain objects to distract them and keep them away from us. From a certain point, it will also be possible to “heal” them to make them human again. Eventually, there is an improvement system, which allows us to improve certain aspects of the character.

Despite the positive aspects listed so far, the gameplay of Mayhem in Single Valley has some negative elements. Among them, there are two that stand out the most: the lack of originality and its repetitiveness. The mechanics of the game, as fun as it is, no different than many other titles have done (in some cases even better) more or less recent. Also, even if he tries to mess with various mechanics, after a few hours the title starts to look repetitive

Pixel-art can do almost anything

The game’s graphics, characterized by the use of pixel art, exploit the technique of 2.5 odds, that is, two-dimensional characters and elements move in a three-dimensional environment. As mentioned in the introductory paragraphs, this choice gives the title a particular aesthetic, that blends well with the setting and tone of the game. Mayhem in a single valley It also has a good variety of scenarios, from urban environments to others of a natural nature.

On another side, many of these landscapes seem a bit generic, making our journey through this pixelated world a little less enjoyable. Using fewer areas would probably have given the developers the ability to give them more personality.

conclusion

By comparing the strengths and weaknesses found in Chaos in the One Valley, we realize that they are only two sides of the same coin. The game is designed to be an enjoyable pastime, able to entertain without testing the player too much. To achieve this, the video game is forced to give up the search for originality and depth. Despite this, Mayhem in Single Valley achieves its goal: give a few hours of carefree and fun play.

Chaos in the One Valley is fully translated at the chatelain and is available on the Xbox store.