Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams - Director's Cut

 Xbox One
Metascore
tbd

No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. ZTGD
    Jan 21, 2015
    85
    For those that have not ventured into this world, the time is perfect to jump in, and even for those that sampled it before, this is certainly a version worth coming back for.
  2. Multiplayer.it
    May 10, 2017
    83
    The perfect version of a good platform/puzzle, if you haven't tried Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams before, this is the best way to do it.
  3. We Got This Covered
    Dec 29, 2014
    80
    May not be the most original title, but thanks to solid mechanics and a bevy of content, it stands out in a crowded genre.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 29
  3. Negative: 4 out of 29
  1. Bigdaddyweave
    Dec 15, 2014
    9
    This is a great break from the games recently released. I love a good platformer, and I love trying to complete levels to 100%. This deliversThis is a great break from the games recently released. I love a good platformer, and I love trying to complete levels to 100%. This delivers on all levels. The control schematic takes a bit of getting used to (there's much more to it than just a double jump) but once I figured it outt and got used to it made sense. Good level layout, lots of secrets and total replayabilty makes this game a great value.… Full Review »
  2. TheQuietGamer
    Jun 15, 2017
    9
    Despite originally starting off life as a pretty shameless rip-off of the Mario brothers, the Giana Sisters have really come into their ownDespite originally starting off life as a pretty shameless rip-off of the Mario brothers, the Giana Sisters have really come into their own with the help of Black Forest Games. You can definitely still see the influences the big names of the platforming genre had throughout, but there's enough new and original things going on here to allow the game to stand on it's own two feet. The added content in this director's cut makes this the definitive version of the game.

    The level design is incredibly strong. The further you progress the more things the game will throw at you. The way all these challenges make use of your character's different abilities in novel ways is great. You have a move that lets you twirl through the air at a slower pace that allows for greater precision, allowing you to nail those more difficult jumps and clear those larger gaps (among other things). You also have a homing attack that feels ripped straight from a Sonic the Hedgehog game. It allows you to vault yourself up higher than your average jump or twirl. Both of these abilities are tied to the game's core mechanic of changing between two different forms; "punk" Giana and "cute" Giana.

    This feature does more than just giving you different abilities though. When you change, so do the levels. The look of the world and soundtrack are altered to fit the version of Giana you are using. Or not quite. While punk Giana gets rock music playing in the background over cute Giana's more pop beats, it is cute Giana who ends up the more post-apocalyptic world. Punk Giana on the other hand ends up in a more bright and colorful enchanted kingdom that feels straight out of a fairy tale. The contrastcan be quite amusing. It's cool to see how immediate all of the changes are. Everything happens at the touch of a button. It's something that never gets old. As you might expect this has an effect on the actual gameplay as well. Unlike other games it is used for more than just having a platform only appear when in one form or the other. Various other in-game objects will react differently as well. The developers placed quite a few clever challenges built around this inside.

    If there's one issue the Giana Sisters have it's that if you don't perform particularly well during a level you may not end up with enough ranking stars to unlock the boss battle. You get these stars by hunting down all of the jewels in a level or by not dying much. This sort of thing is kind of a pet peeve of mind. Although it actually caused me no difficulty here at all. I didn't have a single problem collecting enough stars by the time I got to the boss. A good thing too, because a lot of the jewels require you to find your way to each of the level's sometimes numerous hidden and branching paths. There's also quite a bit of content in the package thanks to several different difficulties and things like score-attack modes. The extra content in this "Director's Cut" (or DirectOWLS Cut as the game amusingly calls itself) comes from the included "Rise of the OWLverlord" DLC which features six new levels and one more boss. The design of which is even better than that of the main game.

    Twisted Dreams is simply an excellent 2D-platformer that revitalizes some not so well known gaming characters of the past. It's excellently made and wonderfully crafted. A real treat for fans of these kinds of games and honestly the best of it's ilk that I've played in quite some time. I highly recommend picking this up and supporting the developers. We and the genre itself need more games like this. Plus it's just good to see some newish faces on the platformer scene.    … Full Review »
  3. neomoonsevin
    Sep 10, 2023
    7
    Good game but you will start to blow a head gasket when u become disoriented and your timing goes off the scales and into deathdoor a realGood game but you will start to blow a head gasket when u become disoriented and your timing goes off the scales and into deathdoor a real brain bender game… Full Review »
See all user reviews »