Boor is the story of a girl in the future that awoken from a sleep chamber by a computer malfunction to find that the planet Eden settlement has been taken over by a rogue Artificial Intelligence. The machine Boor was created to aide the colonists on Eden, but as with all great sci fi AIs, it turns on those it should've helped. Boor's reign has left very few survivors, and it's up to this unique little girl to put an end to the corrupt machine's tyranny.
The girl has a very special ability that allows her to create disposable clones. They can pass certain walls and access areas that you may not be able to yourself. They are vital to solving the puzzles throughout the game. Because it doesn't matter if they die or they run out of their limited life time, you can use them to do a little exploring and scope out parts of what is to come.
The puzzles themselves begin quite nicely, none too difficult, and gradually progresses to much more complex and tough ones, which does lead to some trial and error moments to see what is working and what isn't later in the game. That being said, I only found the last couple puzzle-rooms to be of particular frustration, because even after figuring out what to do, the jumping mechanic is a timed one. A tap on the button gives a short hop, and holding the button results in longer, floating jumps that can be moved around directionally with the thumb stick- which in itself isn't an issue, it's having to make numerous jumps across multiple moving platforms while also attempting to avoid getting hit by the rockets being shot at you.
If the rockets we're just a touch slower, it'd be much less of an annoyance of having to continually die and replay the puzzle. It's really not too awful, just something that stuck out as being just a little too difficult for the more casual feel of the rest of the game. (Heck, there's even a small arcade about 70% through the game that offers 3 distinctly retro mini-games.)
Boor's visual aesthetic is outstanding with the black, white, and grays comprising the main palette with some things accentuated with splashes of red are phenomenal. It highlights what's important, and gives it a bit extra pop on the screen. The design work is minimalistic, but it works very well for the futuristic setting. Rounding out the experience as a whole is the original soundtrack by Paltian. The music was good enough that I found myself pausing the game a few times just to listen to it.
Developer Dazlog Studio has created an amazing 2D puzzle platforming experience loaded with a a downright sublime story to tie it all together. Boor is one of those indie game gems that I'd recommend to pretty much everyone, it plays well, it looks even better, and it has captivating story that will sit in mind for some time afterwards.
Boor can be found on Steam for $4.99 It'll be 20% ($3.99) until Feb. 21st
*Review copy of Boor was provided
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