Biomorph Will Morph You Into Loving The Game, Don’t Believe me? Try It For Yourself!
Biomorph Will Morph You Into Loving The Game, Don’t Believe me? Try It For Yourself!
Publisher: Lucid Dreams Studio
Developer: Lucid Dreams Studio
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PEGI:
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Ever wanted to know what it would feel like to have some of our favorite larger titled games, like Super Mario or Kirby in a Metroidvania setting? I know that I have many times. So, what if I told you that I just played a game that was basically Kirby and Ender Lilies having a baby? Or should I say, they bio-morphed?
Biomorph is currently the talk of every Metroidvania community and that’s because while we wait around for Silksong, we were given such an amazing opportunity to dive into another game, with more of a unique world and with unique elements.
Biomorph is a soulslike Metroidvania that takes the forms of its enemies and then morphs into them, eventually stealing their abilities to utilize for the rest of the game. Developed and published by Lucid Dreams Studio, you can see the love that was put into this game as well as the inspiration taken from games like Ender Lilies, Hollow Knight and Kirby. I have been waiting for a Metroidvania to completely blow me away and this one really has provided new diverse material.
I don’t want to get too much into the story, mainly because anything I touch on would be a spoiler in the game. That’s because the story begins with us seeing Harlo, the character you will be controlling in a laboratory where he keeps saying that he has to “save her” but has lost all recollection of his memories to know who he is saving.
On Harlo are two arms that speak to him, Zeki and Eni, and they are your sidekicks for the rest of the game. What I enjoyed about this game is that you weren’t looking for lore around the map, but instead would encounter cut scenes that would advance you in the story. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other lore you can find further in the game, but I won’t spoil that.
There are a ton of NPCs and there are so many quests for them that you end up having so much to do. I really love when a Metroidvania adds quests with character interactions because it provides more depth into a video game by giving us a window into the soul of the creators of the game. I loved the quests, from finding lost objects, to being asked to save family, this game really grasps your attention in wanting to find out more of the story and the details behind the quests.
The game itself has the most interesting abilities and upgrades. First off, in this game in order to even advance in many of the areas of the map, you basically swallow the abilities of other enemies, morph into them and then utilize their powers to surpass unreachable areas or use their attacks to defend yourself. Sounds familiar?
Well, that’s because it reminds us of a very famous video game character who is a cute pink ball of smush. After morphing into these enemies a certain amount of times, you then get to permanently keep the abilities. However, you are only able to equip three of these abilities at a time, which felt a lot like Ender Lilies, where I figured the inspiration came from.
There is a very important note to mention, so please be mindful but, once morphed into the enemies, they are equipped with a very specific AL system that they will upgrade their previous abilities and become stronger, almost in an aggro state, making the battles harder as you advance in the game.
When it comes to the attack system of this game, I feel like they did a great job with it. There are melee attacks and special attacks you can equip into your slots as well, but you are also only limited to three of those. Finally you do get to equip other upgrades, kind of like the charms you equip in Hollow Knight that provide you various buffs to your character so make sure you explore every corner of the map. Speaking of Hollow Knight, remember whenever you’d die, you’d leave behind your shade? Well, in Biomorph, you end up leaving part of you as well, and you must retrieve it or you will lose the currency for this game.
For those of you who have been following me as a content creator, you’d also realize that I have been recently streaming a lot of city building games. Well, this Metroidvania did something completely new and I am all for it. Basically, you find blueprints across the interconnected map and return back to the main city in Blightmoor.
There you visit city hall and create the said blueprints to rebuild the city. You also get to customize the look of the city to have a unique experience, so that no two games are the same. I love the fact that you can rebuild a city and do things other than platforming and advancing. I will always vouch for Metroidvanias that have unique elements that you wouldn’t find in any other games.
The game also works on the steam deck, but it definitely has some issues still in certain areas of the game. While some areas you are playing at 60 FPS, there are areas where the framerate drops substantially, so you can lower the framerate if you’re okay doing so.
The music and graphics fit perfectly with the game. Every time you enter a new biome, there is a new melody that fits perfectly with the area. The graphics are beautiful, I found it to be a eerie gorgeous mix of Tim Burton and Cuphead which really fit the style of the game’s creation.
Lucid Dreams Studio put their heart and soul into creating this amazing game. They are an indie game developer founded in 2017 by two veterans of the Montreal gaming scene. The studio aims to create beautiful and entertaining 2D titles for PC and consoles. Lucid Dreams Studio is also a proud member of the Indie Asylum, an amalgamation of video game companies all found under one roof.
Biomorph is the game we needed while waiting for Silksong. With so much sidequests, exploration and backtracking, there is a ton of content in this game. I appreciate short Metroidvanias, but I love the longer ones that provide me hours and hours of gaming. Biomorph morphed me into wanting to finish the game, and if you give it a chance, it’ll do it to you too. Biomorph is releasing on April 5, 2024 on Steam. You can follow the developers on their Twitter (X) page and definitely show them some love. See you in Blightmoor on April 5!
Thank you to Lucid Dreams Studio for the review key.