Welkin Road

 PC
Metascore
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No score yet - based on 1 Critic Review

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. CGMagazine
    May 17, 2016
    80
    Welkin Road is puzzling, yet thrilling, blend of precision platforming and puzzle-solving that overcomes a few mechanical hiccups to be an overall rewarding title.

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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. NationFusion
    May 18, 2016
    8
    Welkin Road is a beautiful puzzle-platformer created in the Unity Engine, but it’s unique level design, heart-stopping jumps, and simpleWelkin Road is a beautiful puzzle-platformer created in the Unity Engine, but it’s unique level design, heart-stopping jumps, and simple sophisticated gameplay are hindered by one thing: there is currently no controller support. Hopefully that changes, because it’s the only thing that harms this early access title.
    In Welkin Road there is no story, just a series of tutorials and levels that you parkour and grapple-beam your way through. The goal? To be faster and more efficient at making your way through. Think as if a game like Mirror’s Edge was stripped down to the basic fundamental gameplay elements of running and jumping through a series of platform sequences to ever increasing difficulty.

    Even in its simplicity the game is beautiful with bright colors and a draw distance that allows you to see high up the tower you are about to climb. The modest gaming PC that this was reviewed on was able to keep up with a great frame rate.

    The parkour in Welkin Road and hitting the right combinations of buttons to wall run at precisely the right time is what makes this puzzle platform challenging. Not only do you need to take a running leap off one platform to hit the next, but you also need to press another button to tuck your legs under so you land safely on the other side.

    Here’s the problem - When you are holding down a button to wall run, holding down a button to run faster, hitting a button to jump, hitting a button to grappe, and hitting a button to tuck your legs under it turns into a mess on the keyboard. What started out in the first level as a lot of fun turned into a logistical nightmare as I tried to just manage pressing the keys at the right time. I plugged in my Xbox One controller to my PC hoping to rectify this issue with great controller support...but unfortunately there is none.

    While Mouse and Keyboard pros might be able to find the right key mapping for an efficient run at the game, the approachability is seriously hindered by the lack of controller support.

    One of the things that stood out to me is how developer Gregor Panic handled the respawning system in the game. There isn’t a series of checkpoints, and you don’t have to restart at the beginning of a level. If you fail and fall to your doom your character just respawns right back before the jump that killed him. It’s simple, fast and forgiving.

    While the sound design is simple, it’s good. A game that is based upon simple design doesn’t need a lot, and it provides just the right amount to push you further through the game.

    All in all Welkin Road is a positive example of an early access title that has a lot of potential, especially if there is controller support in the coming updates.

    Pros:
    Addictive gameplay, you want to get the fastest time.
    Unique take on the puzzle-platform genre.
    Simple concepts with in depth implimentation

    Cons:
    No controller support. Welkin Road needs it.
    .

    Gameplay: 7/10
    Graphics:8/10
    Multiplayer: N/A
    Replayability: 9/10
    Single Player:9/10
    Sound:9/10

    ~Steve Kelso~    … Full Review »
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