I’ve never met a person who subscribes to the idea of animal Spirits. Aye, though me and me pirate mates fear the Kraken lurkin’ below us, we don’t go around worshipin’ the thing as it still tries to kill us. I have heard many a tale regardin’ these spirit worshipers though, and while a ton ‘o ’em seem like worksa fiction, one can only wonder where these stories come from. The stories ‘o men shiftin’ into the form of a wolf, only to be beaten by the man who can fly. It’s all very exhilaratin’ stuff, which is why I wanted to try out this new game called Totem Hunter.
Totem Runner takes a unique spin on the sidescrolling action runner, as it adds on a unique twitch feature. In the game, you play a warrior who can switch between spirit creatures and uses their abilities as a means for more power.
The Graphics of Each Totem Spirit
Pretty games carry a heavy stigma in the gaming world. When a game is extremely pretty, it usually sucks, and that’s simply because of substance. Sure, you can point out the Crysis or Halo series out as exceptions, but beyond that it isn’t really applicable anywhere else. This is why this title kind of makes a bit of a splash because its pretty entertaining while being very pretty. It’s highly reminiscent of the Metro or the Castlevania series.
The backdrops to each level are highly varied, but at the same time detailed. Each animated tree, house, and village feels like a silhouette, painted in different colors. This makes the game all more gorgeous as the even when details are thin, it feels like a wholly detailed world. The effects are also dazzling in that they are well animated, and combat is well choreographed as long as you know how to control the character. Overall, it’s appealing to the eye and amazing to play.
The Gameplay: High Octane and Twitchy Combat
The endless runner genre has been changing for a long time, and even when combat was dropped into the formula, it got old really fast. At some point, variation was necessary to keep the genre alive, and Totem Hunter added something new to it. You see, instead of twitching to jump or slide, you twitch to switch form. These forms are all used to take out the enemies ahead of you, or to create a situation wherein you gain a lot more points.
There are three main forms that the hunter can take; the boar, the eagle, and the warrior, all of which have unique characteristics and traits, and are incredibly important when it comes to combat. As a warrior, you’ll be able to collect points for your consumption at the end of each round. The boar is used to push through brambles and enemies, and lastly, the eagle flies.
The Verdict: Awesome and worth a Play
If you really want a change up to the usual formula, you should look this game up. It only costs a dollar and while the developers do encourage in-game purchases using real currency (for them to earn the big bucks, of course), you can still work your way through the game without even looking at the item menus. The game is well worth the dollar, and that is a guarantee.
