Unsighted

Unsighted remixes familiar ideas with an engrossing spin on what it means to take on a time-sensitive mission to save the world.

For some, these temporal limits will no doubt be the cause of much stress and anxiety, which is why many will appreciate that the game allows you to toggle them on or off at any time. Personally, I feel something is lost without the aggressive march of time, which adds a genuine sense of finitude to this post-apocalyptic tale. Without this extra dimension, Unsighted becomes a duller and more quantifiable thing - just another Zelda-like or Metroidvania that time is likely to forget.

Unsighted boasts engaging gameplay and lore, strong dungeon design, all wrapped around an effective and impactful countdown mechanic

Unsighted combines some very familiar ideas: it's a top-down, roguelite, sci-fi Metroidvania with a strong 16-bit aesthetic. Its time-is-ticking, post-apocalyptic scenario is brought to life by the enchanting palettes of its pixel art, making a world you want to explore, full of characters you want to know. Far from punishing, it leans more on the 'lite' than the 'rogue', letting fun prevail – as it will, thanks to the addictive rhythm of the controls, backed by punchy sounds. The cooperative multiplayer is icing on top of an already well-iced cake. Combining flavours of Super Nintendo classics with modern playability, Unsighted is the game 1995 desperately wanted to make but just didn't know how.

A pixel-art Metroidvania-like action game that looks great, and plays well, but has a few odd design components.

UNSIGHTED deserves recognition and exposure not only for the crisp design, beautiful world, hypnotic tunes, and abundant secrets, but for the unique concepts it introduces to great effect, namely the NPC death timers. The stakes in games often lie in winning or losing a fight and having to expend more personal time on a fight that bruised our egos. Here, we have the added layer of humble automaton friends’ lives hanging by a thread. Even though I found several secrets throughout my initial trek, I am absolutely certain more can be uncovered; I just might take a rare plunge into New Game+.

Unsighted is a hard and pure metroidvania, cared for and fun in every aspect, able to satisfy both experienced players and those less accustomed to the genre.

Overall, Unsighted is a solid nonlinear platformer with ample depth and content. While the start is a bit bumpy, the game quickly finds its rhythm and provides enjoyable gameplay with a retro feel. The timer and stamina systems may be frustrating to some players, but the game provides more than the typical customizability to scale the difficulty for casual players. In short, it’s hardly an un-sightly experience; it’s well worth a good long look!

In no uncertain terms? Unsighted is awesome. More people should know about it and play it, especially considering that the game goes out of its way to be accessible even to people who usually find Souls-like titles too hard, or people who dislike the timer mechanic but still want to experience the game, or even people looking for a harder ride. This is a good game and you should go play it. It’s not quite for everyone… but it’s as close as any title I’ve reviewed comes to being a must-play.

Overall, UNSIGHTED is a game that I hope doesn't fall into the "hidden gem" category. For the simple reason that it is a gem that should not be hidden and needs to be in the line of sight (get it?) of as many gamers as possible. Despite the stress of the lifespan gimmick, this unique element is what will keep you on your toes and panicking, worrying but ultimately loving your time as Alma. The narrative is beautiful, and characters are all full of life and loveable, making for a gaming journey that you will genuinely care about.