Game Review #214: Unknown Fate (Nintendo Switch)
Reviewer: Jordan M.
Developer: MARSLIT Games
Publisher: MARSLIT Games
Category: Adventure/Puzzle
Release Date: 03.05.2019
Price (at time of review): $14.99
Buy Unknown Fate on the Nintendo Switch eShop here.
Dive On In
What would you do if you found yourself plunged into a completely different world? Where dreams and reality suddenly seem to intertwine? Welcome to Unknown Fate. This game was originally released in September of 2018 on Steam and has now made its way over to Nintendo Switch. Our character has suddenly been plunged into a world where not only do we not remember ourselves, but know nothing of the world around us. It's going to take everything we have to dive deeper, learning more about this world and its inhabitants, and also learning more about ourselves and the emotions and memories which embody us.
Unknown Fate takes you through a world where your character has awoken into a totally different environment. You, as the only outsider, may be the only hope for a world that has lost its light. You may be their only hope to be the one to restore it.
What Will You Do?
Unknown Fate is a completely different experience than I am normally used to. This is outside of my normal gaming area so it was something fun to try out. The game itself has a classic 90s feel to it such as Myst or other puzzle games like that, which as a child I always enjoyed. Use the left directional stick to move your character. Use the right directional stick to look around. Most of the objects you will interact with will happen using Y. Your character can jump by pressing B. The plus button will bring up your options screen. Early on (most minor-ish of spoilers i guess) your character is going to get an artifact to use throughout the game. This artifact can be equipped by pressing L and X. You can use its power by pressing ZR. It is possible to actually "die" in this game. By die, I mean there were multiple times my character just yeeted off into the abyss. Thankfully the game is pretty generous as it starts you off where you were right before said yeet had occurred.
From An Outsider's Viewpoint
The graphics for the price point are perfectly fine. It looks pretty good honestly. The game like I said itself kinda reminds me of an updated Myst or Riven, yet may be slightly creepier. The soundtrack isn't something that really has its own tracks, so I can't really comment on it too much, however it is appropriate for the game. Each of the different characters you interact with throughout the game look really nice and well designed.
Will I Accept My Fate?
Even though this isn't really my style of game, it’s pretty cool. Sometimes it's fun to play games that are outside your normal realm. I take away from it that a lot of the game is really mostly about experiencing the world you have been plunged into. The soundtrack as I said isn't anything other than to suit the game which it does perfectly fine. This game made me feel a lot of different things. There are moments of anger, fear, sadness, and even love which it seems like something they were really going for and they succeeded. The graphics aren't amazing, but they don't really need to be; they are at least on a PS2 level. As I mentioned before, the game gave me a vibe of a much creepier Myst or Riven. The difference between those games and this is it won't take you as long to complete. If you are looking for a dark, eerie puzzle game that is an overall fun experience, but not really a ton of action, then this is probably a great game for you.
Rating: 8.5/10
Buy Unknown Fate on the Nintendo Switch eShop here.
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*Review Code Provided by MARSLIT Games