Video Game Review - Sephonie

Rob reviews Sephonie on Nintendo Switch…

Anodyne and it’s sequel - Anodyne 2 - are two indie titles that punch well above their budget. Developed by a team of just two people, the action-adventure titles received great acclaim from their respective players. Now Analgestic Productions are back with an even more ambitious title; Sephonie. 

Merging a rich narrative with puzzle-platforming mechanics, Sephonie throws you into the adventures of three scientists who find themselves shipwrecked on the titular island. Planning to visit the island to study and analyse its biodiversity, the trio originally intended this study to build a better relationship with the flora and fauna that resides on Sephonie. Parts of the narrative do get a little philosophical as themes such as social understandings, shared consciousness, and human emotions come into play. Naturally things aren’t quite this simple as the island has its own consciousness which started to sow its own seeds within the minds of the scientists. On paper this does come across as a typical sci-fi story, yet it’s executed in a way that gets you pondering the questions asked - much like the characters on the screen. 

When it comes to actually playing Sephonie things are a little different. Playing much like an old-school 2000’s 3D platformer, you’ll soon find yourself traversing across numerous landscapes. While you’re able to freely switch from each of the playable cast, each has the same abilities available to them. Each additional ability is pretty self explanatory and features things such as being able to double-jump, glide, and wall-run. If you’ve ever played a platforming title then performing these should be second nature. Another interesting feature to Sephonie is that these abilities aren’t all available from the start. The nature of how the narrative plays out means that much like a metroidvania you’ll be revisiting past locations to then use that newly discovered ability to open more of that area. Again, it’s a basic premise that’s been proven across many other video game titles and shouldn’t cause any significant issues.

Much like it’s gameplay, overall presentation feels straight out of the early 2000’s - complete with infuriating camera angles, and very wonky platforming controls. Like other games from that era, Sephonie suffers from characters who like to wall run when they’re meant to jump, and will completely over leap ledges that are easily in reach. It’s frustrating to say the least. This is further hampered by a camera angle that likes to switch and change its focus when you least expect it, meaning you’ll hightail it off the map, or into other obstacles. Level design is fairly straightforward with plenty of variation to obstacles and pathways for you to parkour around in. The only trouble is they too are hampered by the difficult controls which stops everything running with any fluidity. While these levels are designed to offer a beatable challenge, they do often fall into a tedious sprint to the finish. It’s a real shame as when everything works, Sephonie is a very charming title to play. 

It’s not all bad however as the “match-three” puzzle gameplay that takes over when you sync with a creature is pretty good. Combining the likes of Tetris, Columns, Dr. Mario, and Luminies, you’ll be matching colour blocks to then clear a range of different styles of grid. Each creature is different to with each coming with their own brand of tile such as scores multipliers, or ways to erase numerous blocks at once. Too be fair, I’m not a fan of these style of puzzles, yet I found myself enjoying them more than the other aspects of the game. To me, moving the blocks around in a rudimentary attempt to connect with the chosen species felt exactly like something sci-fi scientists would do. There’s no added threat of failing these puzzles either which allows for a slower pace to come to the surface.

Overall, Sephonie isn’t a terrible game - it’s just not very good. The narrative offers plenty of interesting ideas, with a lot of thought provoking themes, however at no point did I ever feel committed to the characters plight, or their overall goals. This is further diminished by a platforming system that takes any enjoyment out of the narrative, to turn the title into a overall frustrating experience. While there is signs of a light at the end of the Sephonie tunnel, everything feels like it’s lacking in polish. Maybe with a slightly larger team - or added time in the development oven - and Sephonie could of been an entirely different experience. 

Rating: 4/10 

A code was kindly provided for this review. 

Sephonie is available now and can be purchased from the  Nintendo Switch store. 

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Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow us on Twitter/Facebook @GeekCultureRev, and TikTok/YouTube @Geekculturereviews.