![]() ![]() While I personally liked the exploration that comes with finding a new powerup in Eris, some players found it difficult to find the path forward at times, myself included on my first playthrough. It doesn't quite reach the sheer density of Eris, but that attention to detail is emblematic to Digital Mantra's hacks, and it is firing on all cylinders in VITALITY.īut it goes even further than that. Details that are presented in one room will provide the environmental context to another room, like a stray sandfall on the surface eventually leading to a large sand pit several rooms below. That being said, it would be one thing if VITALITY was able to capture the meticulous room design of Eris, but VITALITY manages to go one step beyond and craft a world that feels completely coherent in its environmental design. ![]() If you're a fan of his other hacks, you will not be at all disappointed with what is on display here. The atmosphere presented here is, quite simply, totally unmatched by any other hack out there, except for Digital Mantra's other hacks, particularly Eris. The lighting simulation via tiles - as shown in the cover image here on this site - is something I have never seen before in a Super Metroid hack. While the majority of VITALITY uses vanilla tiles to construct its world, they have been so creatively edited that the world of Auriga feels so completely and utterly alien that I was transfixed from the very moment I started the game. Like with Eris and Cliffhanger before it, VITALITY stands tall among all other Super Metroid hacks as a sterling example of creative level design blended beautifully with expressive tilework. That being said, there may be some discrepancies between what is mentioned in my review and the contents of the final game, as it was edited slightly before release. That being said, I will, to the best of my ability, not let these biases affect my critique. I'll make biases apparent right up front, for the sake of transparency: Eris is perhaps my favourite Super Metroid hack out there, and I was able to play VITALITY weeks before most others were able to, thanks to FuncoLand shipping my copy early. Read More A masterclass in Super Metroid hacking. Some hacks give a little reminder of what's to like about SM, but V I T A L I T Y has genuinely reinvigorated my love for the medium. Everything is so meticulously, carefully designed to be exactly what he intended, and that care reflects on the player. You can feel the love and dedication DMan put into crafting not just a hack, but a world and a story. Every once in a while something comes along and gives you a little bit of drive to keep going with them, but V I T A L I T Y really hits different. 10? 12? years now, you get a little jaded. feeling of actually being on an alien world that no other hack really achieves.Īs someone who's been playing hacks for like. ![]() I'm a sucker for a pretty hack, but honestly V I T A L I T Y goes beyond just looking good. There's so many moments where I literally just stopped to take in what I was seeing. There's flashier hacks for sure, but I don't think anything has come close to being as engrossing as V I T A L I T Y was simply by the way the world tells its story. Without spoiling the experience: DMan has presented an absolute master class on world design. Read More I genuinely can't overstate how great this hack is. ![]()
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