I have been playing games for well over 30 years and I have seen just about everything. I have always had a fondness for adventure games. I remember spending hours playing text based adventure games on my friends Apple IIe, so any adventure title piques my interest. Planet RIX-13 from Sometimes You is a new adventure game that has roots in early graphic adventures of yester year.
You play as an adventurer who has crash landed. You must explore the planet, find out what happened to the inhabitants, and make it off the surface alive. This is done by locating different areas, searching for clues, solving puzzles, collecting items and surviving the hardships of the planet surface.
There isn’t frantic action involved, which means for the most part you are able to take your time solving the puzzles that confront you. But just because you aren’t being chased by a 12 armed alien doesn’t mean that you are safe. There are about a dozen or so ways to die, and odds are you will find most of them easily in your travels. But don’t worry, if you do perish you are brought back to life close to where you died so there is very little progress lost.
The graphics are a blast from the past. The game reminds me of some of the old school side scrolling adventures. Most items are large and a bit blocky. I almost want to say they are pixelated, but that isn’t right. They just lack a bit od definition. The game also has a muted color scheme. When you play most of the game looks like it is being viewed through sun glasses. The music and sound fits well with the retro graphics style.
Planet RIX-13 is available now on Xbox and Steam. While it can be a relatively short game experience, about an hour or so, It perfectly captures the adventure genre of days gone by. If you love adventure games, are interested in retro inspired games or like boosting your gamerscore – this is a title to grab.
