Semblance

In a year with more than a few solid platformers, Semblance still manages to stand out. I love the design, the puzzles are challenging but not mind-breaking, and the controls are tight and easy to pick up. I only wish there was a bit more content here, but I may double dip on the Switch version once I'm far enough removed to forget some of these puzzles.

Semblance is a unique take on the puzzle-platformer. Its wobbly environment reminded me a little of Ian Snyder’s colorful The Floor Is Jelly, but instead of ricocheting around a bowl of Jell-O, you have to be precise. If you create a hill and launch yourself off of it a little too much to the left, then you’ll die. When you nail the landing, it feels like a victory.

Semblance goes beyond the puzzle genre and adds their own special take on platform games. The game's art and music direction create a peaceful world that is both full of beauty and rage-inducing wonder. The team at Nyamakop should be proud of their first project which is the first video game developed in Africa to be released on a Nintendo console.