So Many Me Review

Over the past decade, players have been bombarded with a deluge of puzzle/platformers. And with so many titles purporting to be the consummate combination of leaping and logic conundrums, it might be hard to get excited about another contender in the heavily congested genre. Yet, overlooking the recent PC and OUYA release of So Many Me would be mistake. Beyond the game’s effective cloning mechanic, the title also delivers in areas where its contemporaries often falter- providing charismatic visual and aural aesthetics and well as a deftly self-aware storyline.

The game’s opening sequence introduces us to Filo, an impetuous blob who resembles Dragon Quest’s emblematic slime, albeit with a pair of stumpy legs. Smartly, the protagonists’ impulsive demeanor is more than a quirky character trait, with Filo’s actions likely echoing the players own haste to get into So Many Me’s core gameplay.Following Filo’s reckless leap into an exotic-looking pool of emerald colored liquid, the title’s impetus is articulated, as dozens of clones are dispersed through the game world.

Initially, uniting with your duplicates (called “mes”), allows them to assiduously shadow Filo, as he traverses environments littered with the requisite bottomless gaps and series of spikes. There’s also the occasional animated adversity, in the form of smaller foes which can be dispensed with a well-aimed Mario Bros. style head bop. Turrets are another form of danger, but their sporadic fields of deadly fire can usually be circumvented with a well-timed dash.

Before long, So Many Me reveals the hook which propels the game from platform predictability. A button press allows one of your clones to be converted into indestructible floating rock midway through a jump, opening a fascinating catalog of new mechanics. Perpetual ascension can be accomplished by repeatedly transforming a Me to stone- and then jumping, reclaiming, and placing that clone a bit higher. This solidified state is also useful in tasks such as activating switches or creating blocks which negate the ballistic barrage of turrets. As players uncover more Mes, they’ll be able to cover vast distances or use their brethren to activate weigh switches. Naturally, as players find more clones, solutions to each enigma become more complex and challenging. Smartly, So Many Me mixes up the trajectory, habitually reducing your roster of clones at the beginning of a world, while still increasing the complexity of the puzzles.

To avert tedium, the development team at Extend Interactive (A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda, Panthera Frontier) adds additional nuances. Color-coded fruits endow your clones with different aptitudes, allowing players to do things like add elasticity to your stone platforms or even redirect enemies who generate ability-blocking fields. Naturally, there’s often a downside, so that players can’t perpetually depend on these talents. When shunting the aforementioned jammers, your Mes give off light, acting as a beacon to nearby foes. Undeniably, the most gratifying element of So Many Me comes from the game’s gene splicer, which give players access to oversized objects that Filo and his replicas can ride. One of the first ones that players encounter is a Jellysaur who trades maneuverability for the ability to bat away irksome opponents like a grouchy Godzilla.

To punctuate each of the game’s seven worlds, So Many Me also compels players to contend with boss battles against oversized, formidable foes. While these events help to break up the puzzling and it’s always entertaining to glean and exploit each enemy’s attack pattern, these also are one of the few parts of the game capable of generating frustration. Since a single hit often sends gamers back to the start of the battle, expect these confrontations to seize a disproportionate amount of your playtime. What’s baffling is that the other parts of So Many Me shirk repetition, typically placing players at a checkpoint adjacent to where they perished. Ideally, boss fights would have endowed Filo and his duplicates with a limited set of hit points.

While the main campaign is situated on a hub overworld, players can also the map to face an elevated level of challenge in So Many Me’s Chrono Castle, which raises the difficulty to nerve-rattling levels. The hub is also useful for completionists, since each of the game’s stage hold a trio of artifacts that gamers might not find on their first playthrough. These elements are especially interesting, extending optional variations like adding a flip to your jump or transforming normal enemies into gun-toting bullies. Rounding out the title’s supplements are collectable accessories which allow you to customize the appearance of each Me in amusing ways.

Even when enemies are recast as dedicated combatants, So Many Me retains its whimsical, vibrant visual style. Awash in radiant hues and drawn in a perpetually cheerful manner, the Unity-powered title is poised to please players. Likewise, HyperDuck Soundworks (Dust: An Elysian Tail, Scrolls) soundtrack is a winner, with tracks which span from subtle melodies to driving anthems which set the tempo for boss battles. On PC, the game maintains a sixty frame-per second output on a modest rig, but a lack of resolution preferences, as well as any key and controller rebinding options mar the otherwise enjoyable title.

For players who believe that every possible permutation has been attempted in the puzzle/platforming genre, So Many Me proves there’s still a few intriguing ideas left to be crafted. Save for some irksome boss fights, the title’s journey is an enjoyable one, filled with the type of engaging mechanics, playful options, and affable amenities which would accompany some of yesteryear’s best console games. If you’re still on the fence, try the free Chrome-based demo; chances are So Many Me will remind you of so many great games from the industry’s glorious past.

So Many Me was played on the PC with review code provided by the publisher.