Red Goddess: Inner World (2015)

It's tough to be so critical on a game that was obviously a labour of passion for someone, but the nitty gritty is Red Goddess: Inner World is just not very fun. The art isn't bad; in fact, the bright and colourful nature of the game mixed with its simplicity of design could lead to it being enjoyable for children, but beyond the first hour or so, there is simply nothing happening that offers any real surprise or intrigue.

The jumping system is flawed, and considering you are required to jump throughout the game, it becomes difficult to truly enjoy it

One of the first rules of game design, or design in general, is to establish function before working on the form of the piece. There is simply no point in having a game that is stunning to look at and listen to, when it just isn't fun to play.

A good platformer puts together well constructed levels and a decent challenge, while a great platformer has levels that encourage you to take risks and move through as fast as possible while offering fun challenges to tackle. Sadly Red Goddess doesn't offer any of these. Instead it feels like you are fighting the game every step of the way, and this is frustrating because of how much promise there is underneath all the problems. Given more time I'm sure Yanim Studio could have nailed this on the first attempt, but instead Red Goddess: Inner World's bugs dominate against the gameplay.

 If you're a fan of the genre, while you may not find anything truly innovative in the actual gameplay, the story and all-around design makes it more than worth a look. Challenging and rewarding, Red Goddess: Inner World is one that I think has slipped under the radar despite some excellent potential.