The Game Slush Pile

Glyph Switch Review

PlatformNintendo Switch
Release Date2/1/2021
Cost$19.99
PublisherBolverk Games
ESRB RatingE

Games like Glyph are why this site exists. Glyph is a game that sunk into the slush pile, never to be seen again. Its mere existence was brought to my attention on Twitter, where another site was saying the game wasn’t selling well and was 90% off on the E-shop at the time of this writing. So I have taken it upon myself to buy it, play it, and review it. And boy was it worth it.

Glyph
The crystal looks impossible to get, but it is possible to get.

In Glyph, you play as a round little metallic ball that jumps around the ruins of a dead civilization trying to restore it. You can mainly jump, double jump, “bounce,” bounce jump, bounce double jump, and glide. You can only double jump when the ball glows blue, which can be restored by touching anything blue in the level (glyphs, pads, and flames mostly). And you can only glide once per jump. With the bounce double jump and glide combo, you can go really far, such as to get the crystal above.

Glyph
The hub world will get bigger, a lot bigger.

After a brief tutorial, you arrive at the hub world and unlock your first set of levels. The main type of level is exploration levels. These range from tiny to large and require you to find the necessary keys and make it to the portal. Also present are coins, gems, a scarab (which can only be collected once all coins are obtained), and a secret collectible which unlocks avatar cosmetics. The coins unlock collectibles, gems unlock parts of the hub worlds, while scarabs unlock time trial levels.

Glyph
Best of luck to you!

Compared to most platformers, Glyph’s time trial levels are a little different. There are no coins and gems, just the keys and the portal. Your goal is to get the keys and make it to the portal as quickly as possible. These are generally much more difficult than the exploration levels, but there are far fewer of them. Each medal you earn gets you a gem, and gold also unlocks a new tail cosmetic.

Glyph
Imagine the sand as a bottomless pit; that’s how precise your platforming has to be.

Be it time trial or exploration, the platforming is generally the same idea. You can only touch “the ruins,” and if you touch the sand or any rocks, you die. While you have infinite continues, it does not make things any easier as you return to the start with the keys back where you got them. The other collectibles are thankfully collect once forever, because getting them can often be “a one-way trip.” Meaning, you collect them and then die.

Glyph
How am I going to get up there?

My only real complaint about Glyph is the camera. It’s very easy to lose focus of the ball, so you’re constantly shifting the camera on the fly to see where you are going. What’s more, you often are jumping blind because the camera is facing the wrong direction.

Glyph
The world design is great at evoking solitude and desolation.

There are eighty exploration levels and thirty time trial levels in Glyph, meaning there is a lot of game here for your twenty dollars, as much as some more expensive titles. And while it can get really hard, you always keep trying again because the game is that fun. There’s a lot I’m not telling you about Glyph, but you should discover that stuff for yourself!

Glyph is worth it on sale. Glyph is worth it at full price. An instant Must Play!

Overall: Glyph is an amazing platformer, simple as that.

Verdict: Must Play!

E-Shop Page

P.S. You might Lunistice, I didn’t, but you might!

 
Add Comment