![]() ![]() The rest of the world is quite cute with an obvious grunge applied with seedy characters and dirty street corners. The clearest inspiration being the Monkey Island feeling that is produced by the gameplay. The developers have the game down as being inspired by Studio Ghibli, the aforementioned Blade Runner as well as Monkey Island. They must traverse a rich, detailed cyberpunk world reminiscent of Blade Runner to thwart the evil-doers in Neo-Berlin and save the world from "grayness". But, to be fair, the studio praised their inspirations more openly than most would anyways.Nina, a nine-year-old orphan, and SAM-53, her robot guardian, are the titular heroes of Encodya. It’s difficult, it’s enchanting, and it’s a bit odd-even if it isn’t wholly original. Players that are unfamiliar with the genre may want to forego it if they crave a bit more action, but it’s difficult to not suggest Encodya to point-and-click enthusiasts. The gameplay is largely incidental, but the setting, though derivative, is an absolute win. It’s a heartwarming story of life and lessons learned. ![]() The disproportionate characters and their eccentric attitudes can be simply summed up as quirky.įor what it’s worth, point-and-click adventures largely end up becoming a story. I’m not sure if I get entirely Studio Ghibli feels from the animation, but something more akin to a Tim Burtonesque, early 2000s vibe. It’s a sort of 2.5D setting that leverages foreground and background animation to great effect. Encodya is obviously a visual masterclass. I’m focusing too much on the negative, though. To be fair, Encodya offers you hints from SAM-53, but they are discouraged by an achievement that is only available to players who complete a playthrough without using them. The solution is always a little more difficult than expected. ![]() Even if an item would be a logical fit, it never seems to work. I admitted during my review of Leisure Suit Larry, that the truth might be that I’m just terrible at point-and-click games, but the solutions always feel a bit convoluted. This is because Encodya’s gameplay is fairly standard, and comes carrying all the familiar frustrations of point-and-click adventure games. Perhaps where Encodya’s ambition most widely misses the mark is with Monkey Island. Like I said, Encodya has something deeply unsettling about it. It feels like any game that dips a toe in the sci-fi genre pulls from Blade Runner. It almost does feel like a mix of these three elements, but it needs to add something fresh. Encodya gets close, but unfortunately it’s missing a certain je ne sais quoi. If you take three beloved pop culture staples and combine them, you better have something outstanding. If ever there was an assertive boast, there it is. The world is broken and Tina and SAM-53 are just the team to fix it.Įncodya’s official website suggests that the game is a mix between Blade Runner, Monkey Island, and Studio Ghibli. The streets are littered with humans completely enthralled by VR headsets-what SAM-53 calls “the opium of the people.” Everywhere you turn, you are greeted by odious hopelessness. ![]() It goes beyond the typical dystopian bleakness and starts to feel flat-out disturbing. There’s a creeping unease that settles in during Encodya. She lives under a makeshift shelter on a rooftop smack in the middle of a downtown city, assumedly somewhere in Japan, but called Neo Berlin. Encodya opens on a typical day in Tina and SAM-53’s life. Like all endearing robots, he behaves in a far more clumsy, human manner than he has any right to. The story follows Tina and her giant robot protector, SAM-53. ![]()
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