Nightscape a 2.5D adventure inspired by ancient Arabic astronomy in development in the studios of the Qatari software house Mezan Studios. In the game we play the role of Layla, an astronomer committed to understanding why the constellations, which have always been able to illuminate the nights and guide human beings, have suddenly fallen to Earth, leaving people in the dark and at the mercy of dangerous creatures. But not only. Layla, thanks to her particular astrolabe which allows her to interact with the power of the stars, and the help of a celestial kid, or the representation of the constellation of the same name (Goat Kid according to ancient Arab astrology, which corresponds to the Polar Star in Western astronomy), the only one capable of putting the constellations that have fallen to Earth back in their place, although this obviously will not be a simple task.
The portion of the game shown to us during the presentation by Hamad K, Creative Director of Mezan Studios, allowed us to take a look at an entire level, the objective of which was to recover and return the constellation of Leo to the celestial vault. From a gameplay perspective, Nightscape It looks like a fairly traditional scrolling adventure. Layla, the protagonist, moves mainly in two directions, from left to right, even if the choice to opt for a 2.5D creation allowed the developers to give greater depth to the graphics sector and to insert numerous sections in which the young astronomer it can also move in the other two directions. The entire game takes place at night, which obviously influences the graphic style, colors and appearance of the environments, which are openly inspired by the biomes of Southern Arabia and the island of Socotra.
Layla, as per tradition of the genre, can jump, climb over small obstacles, climb and interact with various elements present to continue. The protagonist also has a bow, which allows her to reach otherwise inaccessible objects and switches, and a grappling hook, which can be used in the presence of special holds. During the demo we saw her hit a branch hanging from a vine with an arrow to make it fall or climb a hill thanks to the grappling hook. On many occasions, the young astronomer will also be able to count on the help of her trusty celestial companion, who will interact in various ways with the environment during the adventure in a completely autonomous manner. During the demonstration, for example, we saw the little goat bring a floating branch closer to the protagonist to allow her to climb on and then push her to the opposite bank of a body of water. Hamad K. was keen to underline that the contribution of the little goat will be fundamental during the game, which will go far beyond this type of basic situations.
Layla, as already mentioned, can then exploit the power of the constellations that she has already restored. The latter, in addition to always remaining visible in the night sky which is the backdrop to all the settings, allow the protagonist to draw on some magical powers. During the demo, we saw the courageous astronomer use the wind to her advantage to unlock a drawbridge and cross a body of water on a log or use the rain to fill a portion of the level with water and climb onto a floating crate to reach a ledge . On all occasions, the gameplay seemed very linear to me although, in the last case, a small error of judgment, i.e. summoning the rain before climbing onto the crate, was enough to bring the protagonist to a premature death, with consequent return to the last checkpoint.
During the demonstration, Layla came across some not particularly friendly scorpions, which she quickly eliminated using her bow. The control system includes a semi-assisted aiming system, with the possibility of quickly switching from one target to another if necessary. In general, the fights with the basic enemies did not seem particularly difficult or adrenaline-filled, also due to an almost total absence of movement on the part of the opponents. However, a different matter regarding the clashes with larger enemies such as the boss present at the end of the level, who proved to be decidedly more enterprising than the others and who required various maneuvers to get around to be defeated, also taking advantage of the collaboration of the trusty goat. celestial to temporarily enhance the effect of arrows.
To obtain this effect, Layla had to tell her partner to eat some flowers present in the area of the battle, resulting in the appearance of a temporary enhancement ring around the goat. The boss fight also coincided with the end of the level. After having defeated the dangerous enemy, Layla was able to restore the constellation of Leo in the sky thanks to her astrolabe, obtaining his favor and, above all, the relative power for the rest of the adventure.
From what we have seen, Nightscape It is therefore proposed as a 2.5D adventure with a traditional flavour, in which a simple gameplay mixes with a particularly inspired plot, a minimal but well-characterised design and a narrative with delicate tones, all seasoned with a soundtrack capable of amalgamating in the best ways the various elements. The team’s idea, confirmed by Hamad K. himself towards the end of the presentation, is to give players a sort of fairy tale inspired by Arab mythology. Obviously there is some roughness, especially with regards to the animations, which are not very fluid, and for the battles, which, excluding the battle with the boss at the end of the level, seemed to me to be really too static and not very engaging. Obviously it’s really early to say anything about the actual qualities of Mezan Studios’ debut title and the possible defects, but the conditions for a production capable of leaving its mark are truly there. We will have to wait a little longer to confirm this. The development team has not yet announced any release forecasts, which suggests that the launch is still more than a few months away.