Itorah Review (PS4)

There aren’t many things likeable in Itorah, but at least this isn’t really a bad game. At its core, Itorah draws inspiration from the traditional Metroidvania formula, but the main traits of the recipe aren’t well implemented into the game (or not at all).

However, if you’re a platformer fan, you’ll definitely find some joy in playing Itorah, either because it’s not that challenging or thanks to the gorgeous art style and landscapes. The premise of Itorah is quite intriguing, but it’s not explored enough to make the story enjoyable.

It’s a common problem for platformers where gameplay is usually king, so I’m not really surprised Itorah did not have the budget to explore this aspect deeper. In Itorah, you take on the role of (presumably) the last human alive. Our protagonist wakes up in a dungeon and finds out that she was cocooned by spiders, alongside what seems to be another human.

To my surprise, the other talking creature is in fact a magical hammer, which will become Itorah’s trusted companion and protector throughout the entire adventure. With the addition of the talking axe, the developers have completely skipped weapon itemization. Thankfully, its rants are sometimes hilarious, so I think it’s a good trade off.

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The new world Itorah wakes up to is called Nahucan and it’s now inhabited by different, yet talking, creatures. After escaping from the spider menace, Itorah meets the sister of the local village chief who is just as surprised to meet a human for the first time.

Your first mission is to meet in the village and try to uncover Itorah’s past while trying to save the future. Unfortunately, Nahucan is under siege by the Black Plague, a mysterious threat that will eventually consume everything if left unchecked.

This is where Itorah really shines. Inspired by the South and Central American landscapes, Itorah adopts a fitting art that looks absolutely gorgeous. Some outdoor environments are simply breathtaking thanks to the bright colors and paint-like art style. Complemented by a good soundtrack, Itorah would have been a great platformer if some of the design choices had been different.

Gameplay-wise, Itorah is a bit of a letdown, especially when it comes to controls. A good platformer always has precise, smooth controls, but that doesn’t apply to Grimbart Tales’ game. Controls are stiff and there’s an annoying lag after you push the stick to move your character. This is even more obvious immediately after Itorah executes a jump.

On top of that, Itorah’s entire combat moveset is very basic and completely uninteresting. The good news is you won’t need complicated combos to kill any of the bosses because they aren’t that challenging at all. With telegraphed moves and uninteresting design, Itorah’s bosses were probably my least favored part of the game.

Itorah adopts the same checkpoint system reminiscent to Metroidvania games, but instead of making the necessary adjustments, it feels like it’s been added just to check a point on a bullet list. Checkpoints are either too far apart or too close to each other. The latter is not a big issue, but not having a particularly difficult area close to a checkpoint is definitely bad design.

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Having to backtrack for 15 minutes multiple times because you missed a jump completely kills the fun. Although for the most part the game is straightforward, there are a few sections where not even the map will help you get to where you have to go. It wouldn’t be a Metroidvania game without puzzles, and Itorah doesn’t make an exception.

The few that are included in the game are pretty much explanatory and don’t really exercise your brain. If you can access an area, it’s because you haven’t found a particular item that’s found in a location that you haven’t visited yet. These feel more like gated progression, but that’s how Metroidvania games work.

The bad news is Itorah does not feature fast travel, so if for some reason you’ll want to revisit a location, you’ll have to backtrack your steps instead of taking the first teleport to where you want to go. As far as upgrades go, you have a few items that you can collect to upgrade your health and stamina, but I did not find a use for the latter.

I didn’t have any issues with stamina during boss fights, let alone while traversing the game’s gorgeous-looking levels. It’s probably a good idea to upgrade your health, but since none of the bosses are challenging, it’s better to let this come naturally instead of trying to explore every nook and cranny for an item that you missed. Truth be told, there isn’t that much exploring, as Itorah will only have access to areas she’s supposed to go. It’s pretty clear that the game doesn’t focus on exploration, but rather on providing players with an immersive experience.

Since bosses aren’t challenging, other enemies that Itorah will encounter throughout her journey aren’t that difficult to beat either. That’s certainly not an issue if you don’t have a problem with platformers that aren’t challenging, but I found the lack of enemy variety pretty irritating.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion