Review: NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits
Wiiware has been a great way for small game developers to show off their skills to the masses. Over the Top Games does not disappoint with NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits.
Story
You play as Nyx, a winged girl from the heavens, who has come down to earth in search of her love, Icarus. After using his wings to visit Nyx in the heavens, Icarus goes missing, leaving Nyx wondering where her love has gone. Nyx comes down to earth and finds it in ruins and empty of life–except annoying birds.
Gameplay
The gameplay for NyxQuest reminds me a lot of lost winds, a side scrolling adventure placed on beautiful visual backgrounds. You move Nyx around with the joystick while jumping and flapping her wings and gliding with the A and Z buttons (and yes, that’s all she does). It does make the controls more interesting and challenging that Nyx can only flap her wings five times before she has to rest on the ground. Nyx can also glide a certain distance before she falls down with exhaustion.
There are really only two enemies in the game and a few bosses within 12 levels. The two main enemies of our heroine Nyx: birds and sand. Falling into the hot sand causes Nyx to scream in pain and lose part of her life.
About the time the jumping and gliding, and a little more jumping and gliding, start to get a little boring, the game adds an interesting element. Nyx comes across the help of some gods, or they come across her help? Anyways, they both need each other. With the help of the gods, you will be able to control and manipulate parts of the world–pulling, pushing, lifting, and placing blocks, or stopping a giant boulder from crashing down on you, or even grabbing a fire ball and throwing it at those annoying birds. Not everything in the world can be manipulated, but what can be reacts very well. Blocks and pillars seem to fall like they are supposed to.
This ability from the gods can be used by pointing at the screen, and pressing and holding B button on the objects you want to move around.
Conclusion
It was weird, each time a new element was introduced to the game, it started to get old; the game would then introduce something else to make the gameplay more interesting. The visuals are fantastic and very soothing; maybe too soothing to be searching for your lost love. All in all, NyxQuest is a great deal for $10 and contains 4 hours of core gameplay, plus a few more hours looking for all the easter eggs.
I Give NyxQuest a 9/10.