Horace

 Switch
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 41
  3. Negative: 3 out of 41

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  1. Sabrewulf1
    Oct 22, 2021
    10
    I'm nearly 50..gaming all my life, all the way from the beginning, where this games inspiration comes from with many many zx spectrum, c64 Easter eggs, winks and nods too. If your an old boy (or girl) like myself, you are going to be absolutely blown away by this absolute masterpiece. Yes the story premise is utterly lifted from bicentennial man, but the likes of Terry Pratchett andI'm nearly 50..gaming all my life, all the way from the beginning, where this games inspiration comes from with many many zx spectrum, c64 Easter eggs, winks and nods too. If your an old boy (or girl) like myself, you are going to be absolutely blown away by this absolute masterpiece. Yes the story premise is utterly lifted from bicentennial man, but the likes of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams would be proud of this game as there is enough spin on the story to make the game its own entity. The music, the gameplay mechanics, the smoothness of the game running on switch, the level design, the genius humour and the delivery from the voice acting.. its pure and utter genius. It made me actually laugh out loud at the writrin and tear in my eye for the human moments. If your an old school gamer this is a masterpiece, for all other gamers, it's still a great game but you might not get all the references.

    Total bargain even at the full price.    … Expand
  2. Pete112
    Dec 22, 2020
    8
    I didn't bother with this game when it first came out as it seemed too expensive for yet another 8 bit platformer.

    Picked it up on sale and have to say I would have been happy paying the full price for it. The story is captivating and the platforming, while difficult, let's you straight back into the action without losing progress. I still haven't fully completed it but like it so much I    I didn't bother with this game when it first came out as it seemed too expensive for yet another 8 bit platformer.

    Picked it up on sale and have to say I would have been happy paying the full price for it. The story is captivating and the platforming, while difficult, let's you straight back into the action without losing progress.

    I still haven't fully completed it but like it so much I have put more hours into it than many of my full price games.    … Expand
  3. Snowstreams
    Dec 28, 2020
    9
    A great game with a lovely story. The 8bit graphics put me off at first but now I've realised they add to the game. Its one of the better indie games I've played.
  4. Tspeed
    Feb 14, 2021
    10
    Solid platforming. Wasn’t sure from the trailer if it was gonna feel a bit slow compared to the masocore games I’ve been playing lately, but it was imaginative, fun and a decent challenge. The cut scenes were funny too.
  5. lione81
    Feb 20, 2021
    0
    Absurdamente difícil. No se merece las críticas positivas que tiene. No mencionan la dificultad que tiene y que no se puede modificar. El único truco es dejarte matar hasta que te dan 2 escudos, con lo que llevo 1300 muertes para ir siempre con 2 escudos en cada pantalla imposible. Es un juego que no pillaría ni regalado y eso que pagué 1€ y ya me parece un timo. Control con la gravedad unAbsurdamente difícil. No se merece las críticas positivas que tiene. No mencionan la dificultad que tiene y que no se puede modificar. El único truco es dejarte matar hasta que te dan 2 escudos, con lo que llevo 1300 muertes para ir siempre con 2 escudos en cada pantalla imposible. Es un juego que no pillaría ni regalado y eso que pagué 1€ y ya me parece un timo. Control con la gravedad un poco deficiente al girar en esquinas. Quiero pasármelo y eliminarlo para siempre. Los que valoran juegos no se qué nivel tienen para no tener los problemas de la gente normal y no me considero un manco no. Lo que influye es que no me divierte perder el tiempo con estos juegos.… Expand
  6. drlowdon
    May 22, 2021
    7
    A robot named Horace is taken in by a wealthy old man and soon becomes part of the family. When the old man tragically dies of a heart attack, Horace shuts down and sleeps for several years. When he awakes, he finds his home and the rest of the world in ruin due to a war between humans and robots.

    At heart Horace is essentially a retro-style 2D platformer with Metroidvania elements. At    A robot named Horace is taken in by a wealthy old man and soon becomes part of the family. When the old man tragically dies of a heart attack, Horace shuts down and sleeps for several years. When he awakes, he finds his home and the rest of the world in ruin due to a war between humans and robots.

    At heart Horace is essentially a retro-style 2D platformer with Metroidvania elements. At times it can be frustratingly tricky, and it lasts a few hours too long, but the variety of the gameplay and charming sense of (British) humour means that overall this is a relatively enjoyable experience.    … Expand
  7. thryce3
    Jun 8, 2021
    9
    Wow! This is the very definition of a hidden gem. I got it cheap based on some YouTube Eshop Sale video and I couldn't be happier that I did.
    There are a lot of story-driven pixel art nostalgia games on the Switch, but Horace stands above most, if not all. Narrated in an impossibly charming robot butler voice, the story is sweet and and sometimes harrowing and really pulls on the    Wow! This is the very definition of a hidden gem. I got it cheap based on some YouTube Eshop Sale video and I couldn't be happier that I did.
    There are a lot of story-driven pixel art nostalgia games on the Switch, but Horace stands above most, if not all. Narrated in an impossibly charming robot butler voice, the story is sweet and and sometimes harrowing and really pulls on the heartstrings. It references everything from sitcoms, to movies, to sitcom references to movies, to classic video games to great effect.
    The main game play mechanic comes well into the game and, while it makes great use of it, it's not afraid to take some major left turns. That is both a positive and negative. There are at times some frustrating difficulty spikes. More often than not, these come in the form of oldschool video game mechanics that have nothing to do with the rest of the gameplay. You better be able to get real good at Pacman or Frogger at a moment's notice. Honestly, if I didn't love the game so much these few parts could have tanked the whole experience. Then again, the difficulty is part of the experience of those games so it plays into the nostalgia.
    Overall, Horace is an absolute delight. It's such a polished and creative game. It is one of the great indies on the Switch and deserves so much more attention.    … Expand
  8. mabster
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I've passed it by a number of times, and glad I finally picked it up during a sale. The game is definitely worth it's full price.

    The gameplay is a platformer where the "gimmick" is that the robot can walk along the walls and ceiling. When oriented on a wall, for example, gravity will act toward the wall. At first this is quite disorienting but you get    I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I've passed it by a number of times, and glad I finally picked it up during a sale. The game is definitely worth it's full price.

    The gameplay is a platformer where the "gimmick" is that the robot can walk along the walls and ceiling. When oriented on a wall, for example, gravity will act toward the wall. At first this is quite disorienting but you get used to it. It makes for some interesting level design, with the designers using the orientation to great effect. It's similar to Super Mario galaxy in terms of gravity shifting, but plays quite differently because gravity tends to act at 90 degree increments.

    I found the story very heartwarming. The robot protagonist is almost child-like. The robot will not quite understand the adult things happening around him. The story is very British and I chuckled a number of times at the humour. The "voice acting" is all narrated by the robot with a varying pitch English robot voice. The supporting characters were all quite different and memorable. I really enjoyed the ending, it was a great wrap up to the story.

    The game was quite expansive. It is a Metroidvania game (with addition abilities and backtracking), linear in story (divided into chapters).    … Expand
  9. Sunshadow87
    Feb 22, 2021
    7
    Horace es un juego centrado en la historia, y en la forma de contar la historia que recuerda mucho a la película del "Hombre bicentenario". Una historia que nace desde la inocencia de un ser nacido sin ningún tipo de corrupción humana y cómo eso va haciendolo tan o más humano que otros. Es una historia mucho más cruenta al final eso sí, sin dejar de ser dulce.
    A lo largo de esta historia    Horace es un juego centrado en la historia, y en la forma de contar la historia que recuerda mucho a la película del "Hombre bicentenario". Una historia que nace desde la inocencia de un ser nacido sin ningún tipo de corrupción humana y cómo eso va haciendolo tan o más humano que otros. Es una historia mucho más cruenta al final eso sí, sin dejar de ser dulce.
    A lo largo de esta historia se nos irás sumando mecánicas, comenzando la historia como un plataformas simplón, y acabando convertido en un metroidvania con una gran mansión a investigar y otros escenarios más pequeños interconectados, haciendo el juego mucho más largo de lo que parece para un indie de este tipo (tenéis más de una docena de horas sin ir a por el 100% del juego). Además, a lo largo del juego también nos irán introduciendo otras mecánicas a modo de minijuegos, muchos de ellos homenajes de la cultura de los videojuegos.
    Esta última parte, una gran idea en realidad, pero llevada a cabo con una ejecución pobre, acaba siendo el punto más débil del juego. ¿Por qué? Hay ciertos momentos que para continuar el juego hay que superar obligatoriamente alguno de estos minijuegos, siendo algunos infernalmente difíciles y pudiendo suponer un bloqueo para terminar el juego. No existe ninguna opción para bajar la dificultad de estos y puede provocar que, por ejemplo, si eres bueno en juego de plataformas pero malo en juegos de conducción, te comas los mocos cuando te obliguen a conseguir una determinada puntuación para continuar en el juego normal. Son momentos puntuales, pero acaban siendo un engorro.    … Expand
  10. Mintendo
    Feb 3, 2021
    9
    The story is what captivated me most about this game. Such heartfelt and hilarious scenes interspliced with surprising and fun gameplay elements that both harken back to video gaming history as well as feel fresh. A few glitches here and there, but overall I’m so glad I played and finished it!
  11. Ashjaszczur
    Jan 24, 2021
    10
    In a world of fast paced disposable distractions on small retina display we can lose that feeling of deep connections when it comes to video games, Horace is one of those rare examples of everything but disposable games. If you want to disappear into a warm, charming and very funny story.... Horace,
    If you want to control a loveable character as he finds his path in his new found life....    In a world of fast paced disposable distractions on small retina display we can lose that feeling of deep connections when it comes to video games, Horace is one of those rare examples of everything but disposable games. If you want to disappear into a warm, charming and very funny story.... Horace,
    If you want to control a loveable character as he finds his path in his new found life.... Horace,
    If you want to smile from ear to ear whilst the beautiful pixel visuals make you feel as though you actually do belong somewhere... Horace
    And if you want to play a simple yet engaging game for five minutes before you nip out for a walk and find yourself crying because your new hero is confused, lost and struggling..... Horace.

    This game is perfect in my opinion, the controls and physics are bang on, the story is just fantastically old fashioned and solid and the visuals / Music are just awesome, do yourself and a passionate game developer a favour and pick this up.    … Expand
  12. WAT0
    Jun 25, 2021
    9
    Enjoyable and challenging platforming, good variety of side games and a good, lengthy story filled with funny moments and references to more than a few classic movies. Good value and worth a buy, especially if it is on sale.
  13. Ralak
    Jan 8, 2021
    4
    Not a fan of the platforming. Inspired by Mario mechanics but slower and slightly less tight movement. The graphics are okay but nothing that impressive.
  14. Jack6766
    Jan 10, 2021
    9
    Got it when it was on sale for about $2. 10/10 rating at that price. Remarkable storyline and addicting gameplay.
  15. Mattbatcat
    Apr 19, 2023
    8
    Clearly made with lots of creativity, love and attention, a challenging platform/metroidvania hybrid that kept me busy for hours and hours. My only complaint is that if anything it's a bit *too* long, kinda outstays its welcome. I picked it up in a sale and definitely got great value out of it.
  16. Groovy_J
    Jul 6, 2023
    9
    It's a weird game for sure. A bit long compared to a lot of other 2d platformers, a huge focus on story with plenty of cutscenes, an insane level of difficulty which they try to compensate with very generous checkpoints, and a lot of minigames which range from fun to frustrating to extremely frustrating when they use them for a boss battle or a platforming section.
    Still, its an amazing    It's a weird game for sure. A bit long compared to a lot of other 2d platformers, a huge focus on story with plenty of cutscenes, an insane level of difficulty which they try to compensate with very generous checkpoints, and a lot of minigames which range from fun to frustrating to extremely frustrating when they use them for a boss battle or a platforming section.
    Still, its an amazing experience, the characters are fantastic, the story has a lot of heart, the music is great, Horace as a protagonist is the best, and when the gameplay works, which is 80% of the time, it's a delight if you like challenging platformers.
    This game deserves more recognition and I hope you give it a chance, even if I hope they tweak the formula a bit for a potential Horace II.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best Switch Game of 2020
75
#75 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Hey Poor Player
    Mar 9, 2022
    80
    All in all, I can’t help but rave about Horace. While it’s challenging and may prove troublesome for those not comfortable with their platforming skills, it nevertheless features a ton of content and an engaging story. And while I was frustrated by some of the glitches and occasionally lackluster design, this is still a game I would highly recommend, especially for fans of older games and indies.
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  2. Cubed3
    Apr 19, 2021
    50
    Maybe it's the throwback design influences that are slightly too far outside of this reviewer's reach to appreciate and retro fans that remember playing the ZX spectrum will find a lot more to get out in this title. The desire is strong to get on with Horace, it really is, and he might even make you laugh at times, but just like the guy wearing socks and sandals, there are too many things holding it back.
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  3. 4P.de
    Feb 27, 2021
    90
    Indie gem, hardcore platformer, robot fairy tale all rolled into one. This is a creative mix that also includes loads of funny retro references, puzzles and great storytelling.
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