Endlight is the first commercial title from indie developer Bigpants. The game is about finding hoops to fly through while crashing a path through walls and obstacles. It sounds like a unique experience and we have a preview play of the game before its 28th of July 2023 release.
The gameplay for Endlight couldn’t be more straightforward, simply guide your cube through hoops, that are shaped like gold squares. Each level has a target to reach. Flying through the allotted hoops moves you on to the next level, hitting too many walls or obstacles and it’s game over.
You keep your health bar replenished by flying through hoops and avoiding obstacles where you can. However, one premise of the game is destroying walls and smashing through them to find a path to the hoops. It’s an interesting mechanic and Endlight certainly feels like nothing else. The closest comparison would be Rez but without the shooting.
Your cube controls quite well but there are obvious effects to crashing that might knock you off path and will certainly slow you down. After a few levels, you start to work out the best way to create paths to the hoops. This is where the game takes off and you are bombarded by a Jeff Minter-style colour onslaught. Endlight does come with a strict warning about photosensitivity and flashing lights right at the start and it is packed with flashing colours of all varities.
The most striking part is the fast-paced graphics that constantly switch and change. The pacing of the levels is decent as well, with slower ones mixed in with some odd bonus stages along the way. It would have been great to have some simple shooting mechanic included, even if it was just a simple gun that reloaded slowly, it certainly would add a layer of gameplay in the mix.
Overall, Endlight is a fine action experience that will bedazzle the senses as much as entertains. It does feel like the sort of game you may only play for a short while so we will have to see what the finished article is like on release later this month.
