NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits Wii Review
For me, when developers such as the Spanish Over the Top Games come along and churn out something great, they are deserving of all the respect in the world. Games such as NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits (said developers first game) aren’t made on a huge budget, or by lots of people, they’re just put together with an unarguable passion and the drive to make fun games.
To describe NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits (NyxQuest from hereon), you could say it’s like a cross between Kid Icarus and (one of the earliest WiiWare games). It’s like Kid Icarus, because, well, Icarus is in the story, and LostWinds because some of the controls are so similar. But, NyxQuest is also a game of its own and a fantastic 2D platformer that is well worth the purchase and the download from WiiWare.
You take control of the titular Nyx, a winged woman whose quest is to search for her friend, Icarus. Being assisted by the gods is always handy on such dangerous quests, and Nyx gets that helping hand: throughout the game, she’s bestowed with various powers, making the impossible possible.
NyxQuest’s ancient Greek backdrop and its art style are wonderfully appealing. The game is set against backgrounds with the fiery sun visible, wispy and dangerous black clouds, as well as temples and ruins. It looks lovely (blending 2D views and 3D characters and backgrounds), and is perhaps one of the most attractive WiiWare games currently in existence. Its loveliness is only one small contribution to its overall appeal.
Another part of its appeal are the masterful controls, which make great, sensible use of the Wii remote. If it’s lifting up pillars or moving objects with the pointer, altering the direction of the wind (yes, just like LostWinds), or attacking enemies, the controls have been well thought out and implemented to a hugely satisfying degree.
The game itself is a traditional 2D platformer, although it does have quite a lot of variety within its short playing time. There’s jumping to be done, but also spurts of flight are necessary for the bigger gaps and the higher ledges as well. Objects are required to be moved, fireballs carefully guided through pathways, enemies dealt with, and collapsing ledges must be treated with caution. Most of the latter are things you’d expect from the genre, but the Wii remote does make the difference, bringing the 2D platformer into the modern age.
The game lacks any real boss fights as such, which is a shame, but NyxQuest’s biggest problem is that it can be completed in a mere three or four hours. To be fair, there’s some challenging bits that may hold you back and if you like hunting for collectibles, there’s 20 relics to be sought out as well. At 800 points, it’s arguably overpriced, but as a good old platformer, NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits is an artistically stunning and wonderfully enjoyable game.
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