Blink Gameplay and Review (New Release Friday)
4Welcome to my Blink Gameplay and Review for New Release Friday. Blink is an adorable little 2D puzzle platformer utilizing light manipulation as a solving element. Last week’s New Release Friday didn’t exist because every game looked pretty shit, but I think this was a really strong jump back into NRF. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of story with Blink, but it actually has some pretty sick lore in it, breh. Beyond that, the controls are really solid on controller, though I have heard bad things about the keyboard controls I don’t know why you would ever play this game without a controller in the first place. We’ll talk more about all of this as we press further into our Blink gameplay and review, but for now this shit:
First off, what the fuck is NRF? New Release Friday is a series in which (hopefully) every week I will hop over to the “New Releases” section of Steam and pick-up a game to play for a few hours and give a first-thought review on. This series is an attempt to not only keep content fresh and relevant around the channel by covering current games in a concise and genuine fashion, but also to offer exposure to new games via a relaxed review format to inform potential, unsure buyers. Check out the playlist for more!
Kicking off out Blink gameplay and review, let’s take a look at the beginning of the game and the way it introduces the story. The Blink story is all about a man child who goes searching for his father, whom left inexplicably one day. This premise is introduced with a rather clear, but nondescript cut scene showing the father hugging his children and walking out solemnly. Upon further review, I thought it was a solid way to start off Blink. They don’t shove too much in your face to think about, but give a small foreshadow of things to come, even if you don’t understand it at all at the time. You, as the son, embark to search for your father and so begins the gameplay. Of course, I will get to the gameplay and review here shortly, but want to keep looking at the story. There is an intertwined story between the child and the Eolian he meets in the temple, both want to find their loved ones and both need the other to accomplish their own and the others’ task. It’s a really great unspoken synergy that I should have noted more in the video.
Characters in Blink were all around likable and fun to interact with. They all had unique and interesting things to say and I really should have spent more time exhausting dialogue. Still holding off on the set piece of this Blink gameplay and review to focus on the smaller details, the art was really quite fitting for the game. The game is a simple, cute, puzzle solver that is designed to be comfy and work more toward exposition and ingenuity than challenge. Blink has a simple, yet adorable art style that really helps it get its image just right. Also, to review the soundtrack, it is simple yet elegant and emotional. The child’s journey is one of emotion and the soundtrack makes sure to remind you of that as often as it needs to.
Finally, the point of my Blink gameplay and review, let’s look at the gameplay. From a 2D puzzle solving standpoint, Blink doesn’t do anything too outlandish or new. It uses a multi-view mechanic to allow for manipulation of the world, which is reminiscent of mechanics involving time travel to solve puzzles seen in other games. That being said, it is still a really fun concept and makes for a simple, yet enjoyable gameplay experience. The puzzles aren’t insanely frustrating and don’t use cheap tactics or overbearing time constraints to frustrate the player. Additionally, the controls in Blink are crisp and respond the way you would expect them to. I have heard that the keyboard controls can be hard to get used to, but I think that this game is GREAT with a controller. The gameplay gets regular spice ups via new elements such as the light stones, lanterns, shadows, etc. Just when you start to get comfortable, they will toss you something new to learn, but it is always intuitive and has minimal, non-immersion breaking tutorials.
To close off the Blink gameplay and review, let’s just consider the review as a whole. The game does what it aims to in a comfy, simple package with a well-crafted story and enjoyable characters. The gameplay doesn’t suffer from the same curses that many indie games of its kind normally do such as poor controls, cheap tactics, false difficulty, and the like. Though the gameplay in Blink as a whole is nothing too groundbreaking, it is familiar enough to make sense but innovative enough to make you think. I, without even beating the game, can confidently recommend Blink at this price point. Pretty much no matter what kind of games you normally prefer to play, this one is still enjoyable for you. Just give it a shot if you really have any interest in it at all.
Thanks for checking out this Blink gameplay and review.
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