Now, more than ever, I have found myself daydreaming about leaving my humdrum life behind and living my days as various animals, free from the worries of COVID, rioting, and the everyday struggles that 2020 is bringing us on a never-ending basis. The idea of being carefree, with survival being my only real concern has never sounded so ideal. Metamorphosis, which is loosely based on Franz Kafka’s novel of the same name, takes this one step further by literally turning our protagonist Gregor into an insect.

The narrative focuses largely on Gregor’s transformation, which occurs rather quickly over the course of the first few rooms, with the perspective changing quite drastically as you shrink down to the size of a roach (or beetle, the title isn’t overly clear on what species you resemble); there’s also a secondary plot involving Gregor’s friend, Josef, who is wanted for an unknown crime. These intertwine late into the campaign, which becomes muddled around the midpoint due to the thematic transition. Initially, I was sucked into the game world thanks to the pleasant visuals and slightly off nature to the photos on the wall, which a keen eye will notice that as you proceed, all display Gregor’s transformation. The game starts like a Cronenberg-esque tribute to The Fly, but by the latter half of the game transitions to something that felt more in line with Joe’s Apartment, with fewer musical numbers and ends off in right field, like an annoying fly that is swatted away during a little league game.

The initial shock of exploring the surrealistic environment is impressive, and offers some mild horror tones, as Gregor’s voice shifts from being completely human, to something in between that strongly resembles Mike Patton’s performance as the titular being in The Darkness games. Once the transformation is complete and he speaks entirely in clicks and clacks that ask the player to spend more than half the game reading subtitles, the experience was ruined for me, adding one more black mark to something that could’ve truly been special.

The gameplay hovers around a walking simulator of sorts, primarily requiring you to wander around the different set pieces, some of which are normal everyday locations such as homes and offices, while others reach for more fantastical settings like a city made up entirely of bugs that use floating sheets of paper as a means of traversal. The rest of the gameplay revolves around platforming with a paltry two abilities (walking into sticky substances that allow Gregor to crawl up walls for a short time, but not upside down for some reason, as well as turning cylindrical items), and more fetch quests than you can stick to a piece of flypaper.

The game comes packing a nice feature that allows you to pan out and see the entirety of the current area at will, with a clear indication of your destination without revealing the path forward. This wasn’t an issue in early areas, but becomes more troublesome in latter segments that are populated with other bugs. This becomes an even bigger annoyance closer to the end of the game, where you must find specific bugs to converse with, but the landscape is covered with so many of them in small clusters that it’s hard to tell which ones you’ve interacted with or not. My frustration came to a head at a pivotal moment in the closing acts, where I was given an option that decides the outcome of the game, which locked me into my ending by failing to properly explain what exactly was required to move forward.

The game excels at not only providing a nice visual treat, but controls extremely well, especially in the first-person platforming segments. I never had to question whether I would make a jump, which is a normal point of frustration in first-person jumping situations, as I stuck the landing almost every time with the exception of when I was missing a point in the path forward. There were more than a few times I forgot how easily Gregor can climb steep assets that would’ve been a blessing if added to the Fallout/Morrowind titles.

Sadly, handling well and looking good is not enough to build an amazing game. By the time I reached the final act, I was pushing forward simply to see the ending for this review, not because I was enjoying myself; honestly, I felt a wave of relief once the all too abrupt ending hit me like I was the figurative spider to the game’s shoe. After reloading the chapter with the single deciding factor as to which ending you receive, I was disappointed to find that both endings are just as bleak and overall, felt rushed.

Much like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly, Metamorphosis transitions from a game that shows great ambition to a weird slog that I couldn’t wait to be over, despite having a relatively short two to three-hour campaign. While it features some unique perspectives and a decent execution, the story and gameplay fail to stop this from collapsing under its own weight.

6 out of 10

Pros

• Respectable Visuals
• Executes First Person Platforming Without a Hitch
• An Immersive Opening…

Cons

• …That Tapers Off Quickly
• Entirely Too Many Fetch Quests
• Lack of Player Direction
• Muddled Story
• Weird Thematic Twists That Fail to Deliver

Metamorphosis was developed by Ovid Works and published by All In! Games. It launched on NS, PC, PS4, and X1. The game was provided to us for review on X1. If you’d like to see more of Metamorphosis, check out the publisher’s site.

 

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