Promenade [Review]
Promenade is a laid back cozy platforming game. Players take control of Nemo, and his small but helpful octopus friend as they journey through a colorful and whimsical world on the hunt for broken pieces of the golden cogs. The cogs have been separated and scattered throughout the world. These cogs are crucial to fixing the great elevator, one must get every piece and transport them back to the rightful place on the elevator so Nemo and his cephalopod friend can defeat the Shadowy Nega Nemo and restore order so Nemo and his Chill Octo buddy can go back to hanging out and doing what cool people do.
Promenade is colorful, vibrant, and visually astonishing. When you pause the game you get a water-colored version of whatever is on the screen. Although small, this is a wonderful feature and adds a lot more charm to the game. Our main hero in this game, Nemo, reminds me of Finn from Adventure Time. The character animations have a lot of heart to them. From sleeping in a hammock to regaining health to jumping into a bed of pillows to get to the next stage. The objective of the game is to get three golden puzzle pieces to complete the stage and open the next area. Although this is true for a good chunk of the game, each level does have several golden pieces you can acquire
Each level has a set amount of pieces you can get. Sandy Stroll has 12 with three secret ones. This information can be found in the levels. At the Sandy Stroll specifically, if you go to the destroyed pirate ship to the right of the stage, all the way at the end near the captain’s helm you will find a book with generalized information about the stage. The golden pieces are needed to repair the great elevator to progress. Promenade has 180 broken pieces in total. Some levels are even connected to other levels, kind of like Banjo Kazooie or Conkers Bad Furday. I gained a grapple hook ability and went back to a stage to try the hook on different areas I could not reach beforehand and ended up in a space ship and it took me to a level within the level. Some levels even have hidden trials like Super Mario Sunshine.
The platforming is nice and some mechanics remind me of Donkey Kong and Yooka Laylee, if you hold down and Y Button on the Nintendo Switch you roll into a ball making you move swiftly across the ground. Another skill is the ability to grab enemies and use them as a platform like in the game Klonoa Phantasy Reverie. Even a cannonball flying towards you can be grabbed and used as a platform. Not every enemy and cannonball you see can be used as a platform. Some cannon balls have spikes that can’t be grabbed. There are times that careful timing and planning are needed with platforming for example there was one point where I needed to grab an enemy and use it as a platform and once airborne I needed to grab a cannonball that was flying towards me to get higher elevation. Promenade also uses its mechanics to its full advantage for tasks. For example, in the hub world, The Great Elevator has three small things needed to open the elevator to the next area the Sandy Stroll. I needed to shoot a basketball in three places, find a puzzle piece, and reach a high level of elevation with some platforming. Promenade is such a fantasic game! During my playthrough of several hours, I did not once run into a bug or glitch. The game ran smoothly on the Nintendo Switch and if played on the Playstation 5 Or Xbox Series Systems Promenade can be enjoyed with an astonishing 4k 120 FPS. Promenade already looks stunning on the Nintendo Switch with 1080p 60 so knowing this game can somehow look more beautiful is mind-blowing. Promenade is available for PC, Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation Family of systems, and the Xbox family of systems. Anyone looking for a physical copy of the game is able to acquire it as well. I know I'll definitely be buying this cam physically for Switch to add to my collection.
This game has heart and clearly the Dev’s loved making this game.
Promenade is colorful, vibrant, and visually astonishing. When you pause the game you get a water-colored version of whatever is on the screen. Although small, this is a wonderful feature and adds a lot more charm to the game.
I did not once run into a bug or glitch. The game ran smoothly on the Nintendo Switch and if played on the Playstation 5 Or Xbox Series Systems Promenade can be enjoyed with an astonishing 4k 120 FPS. Promenade already looks stunning on the Nintendo Switch with 1080p 60 so knowing this game can somehow look more beautiful is mind-blowing.
