Normally, starting off dialogue with a Jack Skellington lookalike (his name is "Y'aak," for heaven's sake) and dropping a cutesy emo Death protagonist in the middle of the screen isn't something that would warrant my attention. But the character design and especially the environments in Shattered – Tale of the Forgotten King look kinda dope.
Our main character here has a Darksiders meets Journey kind of vibe, has a little skeleton bro riding piggyback, a body-pillow-length sword on his lower back, and a double jump to die for. The low-poly art that makes up the level design contrasts nicely with the thin-lined menu art, coming off like a raggedy Stussy S art style that I dig. Reminds me of Ashen, a game I desperately tried and failed to get into.
Shattered, dash, needlessly long subtitle, is from newcomer Redlock Studio. Not certain how polished everything feels, gameplay-wise, with it taking its first tentative steps into Steam Early Access as of January 17. Also, Redlock Studio will be adding more and more areas to hack and slash through; there are a few areas, foes, and NPCs to be introduced and worked on. Looks like Shattered could end up being a decent boss rush, though. Just have to be okay with a ping-pong-ball-headed mentor/buddy living in a world of gently clashing brush strokes.
