Inspired by classic 16-bit and 32-bit games, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder doesn’t disappoint old and new players alike. It’s a somewhat linear metroidvania, but it’s a very satisfying adventure.

A Very Charming World, But A Little Confusing

The world created by Metamorphosis Games, with its steampunk theme, is very beautiful and fun to explore, but the storyline turns out to be its weakest point.

Here we follow Aletheia as she discovers the secrets of the city of Canaan, facing various enemies, from bandits to deformed monsters and Golems. Her story, as interesting as it was at the beginning, ends up getting lost due to a lot of chatter and tediously presented texts.

Unfortunately, seeing an image of the characters and reading copious amounts of text in a more frenetic game, ends up breaking the rhythm a little and making the player and the audience who are watching lose interest more, especially as so much that they try to explain at once, ends up having too much information and causes confusion.

Gestalt’s Gameplay is Very Fluid, But Not The Best of its Kind

Anyone who has played 2D metroidvanias such as Metroid, Castlevania or recently Blasphemous will feel right at home here. The game doesn’t change much from the previous ones, but it does have its own mechanics that I liked a lot, and others that I didn’t like as much.

Let’s start with what I didn’t like very much, which was its stamina mechanics. Similar to souls-like games, you can roll to become invincible to damage and avoid hits, and for me it works very well against the bosses. But when you’re surrounded by enemies or just want to get around the map faster, it’s more of a hindrance and frustration than a challenge. Especially as this game doesn’t have the best map navigation in the genre, the great need to backtracking into previous areas where not all of them have fast travel greatly increased the playing time, which was a lot of walking around.

On the plus side, the combat, especially against bosses, is very satisfying, but quite easy. I felt that the game is quite easy for new players who aren’t used to it, and that’s very inviting. The game also has more than the required amount of resources, allowing the player to reach their character’s potential more easily. Your skills are very useful and all played an important part in my gameplay, I can’t remember any that I didn’t use or that I felt were unnecessary.

Gestalt Offers Attractive Playtime and Gameplay for Streamers

Gestalt Steam & Cinder is a good length for a metroidvania, it’s not too short and it doesn’t go on too long. What’s great for a streamer is that, despite its long dialogues, it’s possible to finish the game 100% in less than 10 hours without having to play in a hurry. This also makes it easier for your audience to watch Aletheia’s adventures from start to finish.

In addition, the game is well optimized and light enough to run on most machines. The game is also available in 6 languages, playing in my native language, Brazilian Portuguese, which is very well translated.