Forget about your typical post-apocalyptic world with barren deserts and mutated creatures; instead, consider an overrun world of dragons that black out the sun and have pushed humans to the brink of space. The populace has all but given up fighting aside from two dragon slayers, both of which you play as. One is a girl with an inner dragon spirits, while the other takes his trusty blade and does a lot more stabbing. Combine that idea with a runner sensibility and you have this.

EarthNight is something that may come off as a mobile specific game with its seemingly simple approach. It’s rare that the runner genre is something most console players will gravitate too, even when it’s something more dynamic like Runner3. However, this has something up its sleeve to keep people coming back – rogue-lite progression. With each dragon slayed, you’re given a new item which translates to abilities for the characters. Should you have trouble with the dragons, or just want to purchase the items instead, you can trade water (the currency in the game) for the unlockables. These can change each run drastically, and will no doubt have people trying “one more time.”

The art is both nice to look at and unsettling at the same time. It gives me a similar vibe that Braid does, as it looks great but also mildly creepy. The music is charming and catchy, as noted by my daughter who danced to it every time I played the game in front of her. The gameplay is simple and potentially addictive, but keep in mind this isn’t going to be something you’ll play for hours on end. Technically you can beat it within the first 20 minutes of picking it up, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Too many games require you dedicate your life to them, and this allows you to spend it if you like, or just get to the chase. Of course, getting the most out of it will require more than a few minutes, and it rewards you for doing so.

The game plays like most endless runners; most of your time is spent avoiding obstacles by jumping. There’s not just a single jump though, as you can do long jumps, double jumps, triple jumps, lunges, etc. Some of these are determined by upgrades you can acquire, while others are standard to the character you choose. The game allows for combos, which will replenish your life if you’re good enough (certain items will help with this dramatically and it’s a great way to get past the tougher portions of the game). And in addition to jumping, you’ll be able to speed up your descent, sort of like Tetris. This is essential in the later levels when you must color within the lines, so to speak.

There are some things that I feel could’ve improved the overall experience of the game. When you’re free-falling through the atmosphere on your way to the planet’s surface, you have the chance to land on a large swath of dragons. You can avoid them all and move to the next section, but getting close enough means you run along its entire back as you approach its head to then kill or be bucked off, depending on how fast you are. Regardless of where you approach in free fall, you always start at the tail. I would’ve appreciated it starting halfway through, or on the head given my proximity when the transition started on multiple occasions. Additionally, hit boxes were not always consistent across the enemies, and what may kill a flying enemy would hurt me on an identical one. It was never enough for me to put down the game in anger, but it was off-putting.

If you’re a fan of runners and have been looking for something unique within the genre, EarthNight is the freshest take I’ve seen in a while. It’s by no means perfect, nor did it stay on my console for more than a couple hours of play, but it’s a fun distraction from all the games that require your utmost attention and weeks of your life to complete.

7 out of 10

Pros

• Gameplay Loop
• Fun Unlockables
• Aesthetic

Cons

• Inconsistent Rules
• Dragon Landings

EarthNight was developed and published by Cleaversoft. It is available on iOS, NS, PC, and PS4. The game was provided to us for review on PS4. If you’d like to see more of EarthNight, check out the developer’s site.

 

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