Typoman Review
Guest Contribution
Before the nails slowly started to close on the WiiU’s coffin, here I remember looking forward to not the AAA’s or exclusives, but rather the numerous indies which would come to the system. These included underrated gems like Fast Racing Neo or Stealth Inc 2, but there were plenty of others I just happened to lose sight of as busy release weeks occupied my attention. Typoman, a Limbo-like platformer based around words, was one such example. Now that it’s finally graced the Playstation 4, it’s time for me to give it a more proper look.
Gameplay:
Typoman’s main catch is how you can use and reconfigure words to solve puzzles, a mechanic that will carry you through many of the game’s challenges. However, the ambition of this idea is definitely felt, and not in a positive way. Not only is some of the platforming in Typoman a little bit iffy, but more problems lie the more you play.
Story & Design:
These mainly are centered around the game’s difficulty curve, which unfortunately doesn’t stick to an all to interesting mechanic. A good example of this is how later puzzles will present you with upwards of ten words, meaning the combinations are staggering and can fill you with impossibility. While I never looked up a walkthrough, there were times I was close, and for me that’s never a good sign when playing a puzzle/platformer.
Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:
Typoman does have some consistent strengths, and these occur in its presentation. I was a fan of the ambient soundtrack, and some of the ways levels are formed artistically look really nice. This gives Typoman layers of atmosphere it desperately needs, even if the gameplay/design isn’t always up to par.
Conclusion:
Typoman falters in the ways it handles it’s intriguing mechanics, but for those who manage to get past that, you’ll find some entertainment and value. For instance, the game’s presentation is a definite strong suit, and this version is more revised than the WiiU counterpart.
Typoman gets a 6/10 (Limited Appeal)
We’d like to thank Brainseed Factory for giving us a code!
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