Sometimes pixel art goes too far !!! Under the pretext of paying homage to the 8-bit games of our childhood, more and more indie games are playing the card of the illegible pixelated mash. On the other hand, there are a lot more people for nice success in high-resolution 2D or even nice, well-animated pixels with 16/32-bit …
The game I’m about to tell you about today is a caricature of that regressive logic, a game so hideous and pixelated that it instantly scares any player born after the 80s. This game … what can I say … that yummy insult is butcher.
Butcher is Doom in 2D platformer. The idea seems far-fetched, but with the joystick in hand, the fun is there. We embody a kind of super soldier who destroys hordes of enemies in short and nervous levels. The gameplay is very intuitive and plays a lot with the character’s mobility. We run, we jump, we shoot … and we squeeze our buttocks very tightly in hopes that this is over.
The levels are sequences of small arenas (like in Doom) that must be freed of all life in order to pass the sequel. As the levels progress, we collect some fairly classic weapons (rifle, machine gun, flamethrower, railgun …), each adapted to a specific type of enemy. The grenade launcher is not very useful against infantry, but works wonders on vehicles, etc. The feel of the guns is very good, with good feedback and sound effects that break the eardrums.
Where the hell are my glasses?
As I said above with a hint of provocation ‘, Butcher is visually disgusted. Everything is gray and The only color that invites itself to the party is the very red blood that is shed on the walls of Valrie Soot of the Apocalypse. The characters are only a few pixels in size and can hardly be distinguished from the various types of enemies. Sometimes we get a shot from a man armed with a railgun when we thought we were standing in front of a cast iron with a simple pistol …
“The easiest mode is hard”, Butcher tells us on his splash screen. In the purest tradition of “Die and try again”We die a lot, and only when we memorize where enemies are are we triumphant. In order to appreciate the game, I advise you to conduct small sessions: from time to time a level without hurrying, as the long combination of “difficult deciphering + big mess on the screen” gives a headache.
Butcher is not the game of the century. Ugly and punishing, it will immediately escape a good part of the players. But viewed as a silly and fun dig, it might appeal to fans of annoying shooters like BroForce or Hotline Miami. In addition, it only costs a few dollars (2.49 available in the ps4 store).
