It may not be the hottest genre these days, but if there’s a reason platform games have stood the test of time, it’s because they’ve always managed to capture the spirit of gaming in its purest form. Let me explain: It doesn’t matter how deep or simple a story is, it doesn’t matter how detailed or crude a setting is, and it doesn’t matter if there’s more than one dot on the screen. A platform title is a journey in which the player must reach the end, and Promenade of Holy Cap asks us to undertake this journey, which will be as entertaining as it is challenging if you take a good ride.
The truth is that I was able to get to know this game in a test version during the last Gamescom and it actually became one of my favorite titles at the fair. Now that I’ve had more time to look into it, I realize that my first impressions were indeed correct, but it also seems to me that I should have refined a few aspects to make it a more integral part.
Promenade (which means “promenade” in French) is a 2D platforming and side-scrolling title that takes us on a dream journey with its young protagonist Nemo and his companion, a small pink octopus, as they search for a path seek to climb the big elevator to the top in a world full of small creatures, bright colors and memories. One can immediately come to the conclusion that what we are witnessing is a journey through the imagination of a child with a somewhat dark background, but apart from one specific scene, the entire “walk” is between clouds, pillows, toys and colorful colors, beautiful and friendly environment.
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The comparison I’m going to make exactly with a representative of the genre in 3D is strange, but there is a lot of Super Mario 64 in Promenade. To go up the Great Elevator we have to recover fragments to repair the platform with which you level go up for levels. This elevator area also acts as a “hub” between the different levels or sections of Nemo’s memory where the scattered pieces are located. To get the pieces, you usually have to traverse an area by jumping, avoiding enemies, and closing gaps until you collect them. But others require you to put the pieces together through ingenious perspectives, memory puzzles or time trial challenges. I’ve already talked about Super Mario 64, because in addition to the designs of some of these tests, each one has its own name to keep track of in the Nemo Album, similar to when you got the stars in Peach’s Castle.
Promenade is also a pretty peaceful game as our character never dies at any point. Yes, it can be weakened (we have a hit counter that decreases when the enemies on the screen touch us), but the “checkpoints” are common, so the general progression won’t blow your mind, at least until you do find fights against “the boss”. These levels are true tests of skill where we’ll have to test everything we’ve learned so far, including double jumps, dodging and rolling, and using our friend the octopod at just the right moment. It is noted that these points represent access to a higher level of difficulty, but at the same time each of these fights unlocks a new ability for the octopus, such as a hook to hold on to hooks, and thus opens up open shortcuts or new sections where you can get more fragments can find.
So far I have no objections, as it’s obvious that Promenade aims to be an accessible and entertaining adventure for all audiences, but perhaps there are a few underlying problems in achieving the goal that obscure the colorful experience. The progression and complexity of the tests and jumps soon increase in intensity, and although the double jump system interacts with objects (which you must first grab with the octopus, the central part to move and interact with the environment), in which they present themselves The tutorial usually goes well. I have noticed more than once that the response time between pressing the button and the action in the game is not as precise as I would like. It’s not restrictive, it doesn’t break progress at any point, but I think that Promenade could have a much more pleasant rhythm without having to repeat so many sections, because sometimes these times are not precise. Luckily, instant save point loading occurs even on the Nintendo Switch version we used for analysis, so it’s not all bad.
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Likewise, I understand that the decision to know the contextual language and environmental puzzles is also a decision to support the telling of Nemo’s story, but one can easily get lost on several occasions, especially since there is no general map to do so would be able to access, and you have to go to the previous sections to open new paths with the new tools. While there is a Metroidvania element, it’s not entirely necessary to reach the end credits as there are far more parts than necessary, and that replayability is for those looking for the complete challenge.
But don’t let these less bright spots fool you. Promenade is a great game that I still find as solid and attractive as when I first encountered it. If you’re interested in another platform that offers an extra dose of puzzles, this is undoubtedly one of those indies you won’t want to miss when it launches on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch on February 23, 2024.
