Entwined is the type of game that doesn't feature dialogue and doesn't feature an obvious narrative, but it still manages to tell an interesting story. Players will control a bird and fish simultaneously while navigating through narrow corridors and making sure to grab the right items with the right characters. Games like Entwined are the video game industry's version of poetry, because the message the developer is attempting to get across to gamers isn't always so obvious. Fans will ultimately be happy with what Entwined attempts to do, and it makes the game a pretty memorable experience in the end.
Gameplay in Entwined is all about controlling both characters at the same time and grabbing the orange orbs with the orange creature and the blue orbs with the blue creature. Each character can only occupy half of the tunnel the duo are constantly traveling down, so this keeps the game from ever being too complicated. The game later throws in green blocks that must be touched by both characters and some frustrating fusion puzzles that require both characters to merge in order to progress. The merging of the two characters can be difficult to achieve if any mistakes are made, and players will need to repeat certain sections of a level several times in order to continue playing through the game. This is both a pretty major annoyance and something that detracts away from the awe-inspiring tone the game attempts to set up from the moment players load up the game.
Entwined will take most players less than two hours to complete. The game isn't as special as Journey nor as creative as something like Gone Home either, so it becomes a lot more difficult to recommend players go out and purchase a game knowing fully well how brief an amount of time most will spend with the game. Players that don't mind spending $10 for a couple hour's worth of entertainment out of a game will find the game pretty fun though.
Entwined is a good looking game with a colorful art style that indie game fans will really appreciate. Gameplay in the title is comparable to Super Hexagon or Dyad, but Entwined is looks a lot better than either of those games. The new game also features a strong soundtrack that helps evoke certain emotions from gamers as they enjoy the downloadable title. The game controls well and is just as responsive as a game of this type needs to be in order to be fun. Merging the two characters can be a pain, but the problem has more to do with the skill of the player and difficulty of the game than an actual issue with the game's controls.
Entwined does what few other games have managed by making players think about issues outside of the game that is playing out on-screen. The game looks great and plays pretty good as well. Unfortunately, the brief campaign is short lived, and there is little reason to revisit the game after it's been completed. Some players will find the price of $9.99 justifiable for the 2 hours worth of gameplay the title provides, while others will pass up on the game in favor of waiting for it to be featured in a sale. Entwined is now available exclusively on PlayStation 4 and will release soon for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
Entwined is now available exclusively for PlayStation 4 and can be purchased for $9.99. For more information on Entwined, check out the PlayStation Blog.
Game Features:
- Single Player
- Control Two Characters at One Time
- Combine Characters to Solve Puzzles
- Coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in July
- Trophy Support
Game Information:
Developer: Pixelopus
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Available exclusively for PlayStation 4 (reviewed)
Release Date: June 9, 2014
