Overloop | PS4 Review

Digerati's dystopian puzzle platformer, "Overloop" shows us a mirror image of our real world society so true that it comes off as being a stern warning as to why certain things should not be accepted. Science turned into a cultist religion being one of those very things. Something that would result in exactly what this game forecasts. 

As an inventor of a quantum replication device working for a certain Douglas Infinity you spearhead what is supposed to be a leap in scientific achievement so profound that it will change the world. This cloning gun, as one might expect, is at first hailed as a breakthrough for the betterment of life. Leading to an easier living for non-clones, and an overabundance of food for everyone. Sadly, this breakthrough quickly turns sour as the debate of what it is to be a living being arises among a laundry list of other issues that raise their ugly heads. Things like infertility through cloned food being among those issues. That, and the unquestioning worship of science as if it were a savior.

Though initially warned by a colleague named Thomas you proceed to upend society with your miraculous invention. Only to turn an about face one year later as the damage your efforts have done are revealed in full. It is in this realization that you take up arms as humanity's last hope in undoing what was done. Using expendable clones of yourself to infiltrate Infinity HQ, and challenge it's security and AI systems. At the end of it all coming to terms with the value of life, and how easily life can become meaningless if it is so easily replicated. A lesson hard learned.

As the inventor of the quantum replication device you have certain abilities that you'll gain as you progress through the heavily guarded interiors of the dystopian outer world, a church, and Infinity HQ, itself. Things like cloning yourself are expanded upon gradually giving you the ability to utilize, and control your clones to solve dangerous death dealing puzzles via sacrifice. You'll also find a reverse gravity helmet, and other tools that will make the already challenging challenges even more difficult to conquer. Putting the tools to use, and your puzzle solving skills you'll gain access to an NPC driven narrative carried along by characters caught up in the world destroyed by your creation. Opening up with it an all encompassing conversation about life and death, truth and deception. 

The Presentation ...

Overloop, as a game, is one long series of sectional screen filled puzzles connected by the goings on of the inventor you play as, and his witnessing to the unraveling of society it has caused. It is presented in a 2D pixelated Metroidvania format with a simplistic, yet impactful art design. Capturing perfectly the dystopian world the inventor inhabits. Through textual speech bubbles from prompted NPC conversations the plot thickens giving way to a sort of thought experiment pertaining to what it is to buy into science or science as a religion. Perfectly encapsulating things like the real world pandemic, the idea of lab grown foods, and even cloning. It is a telling reflection much like facing a clone of yourself would be. With every clone sacrificed, and every thing done to rectify the ruinous results it allows the player to come to terms with the truth and consequences of such choices.

The Verdict ...

On par with games like "Portal", Digerati's "Overloop" achieves, in a minimalist style of storytelling, a chilling reflection of society and it's symbiotic relationship with science through puzzling challenges. It makes the player question what it is to buy into things at face value, and the risk such a decision could impose. It is as much a game about morals as it is about solving the perplexing puzzles to get to the point of understanding what stakes lie in balance with said dilemma. Ultimately pointing to the fact that sometimes less is more, and that more cheapens the value of the more precious things in life. 

Puzzle-wise, Overloop ranks up there with games like 'Portal', and definitely requires a bit of thinking to get through the game's entirety. I do like the way that the developer gradually increases the difficulty of the puzzles over time while introducing new tools to further challenge the player later on. It's well done, and obviously well thought through. Even the story, and it's underlying character driven conversations harbor an awareness that so few have these days. Culminating in rich look at society as a whole. 

If you fancy something that's challenging in more than one way, and something that reflects the modern day goings on of society be sure to put down some money for this one when it releases. You won't regret it.