Schrödinger’s Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark is a platformer with a bit more depth than you usually get from games of its type. Mixing together action and a crafting-on-the-fly concept, the game gives some much needed freedom to a cookie-cutter genre. Let’s get right into it folks.
The gameplay in Schrödinger’s Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark is pretty simplistic on the outside, but definitely requires a lot more ‘thinking’ than typical platformers. Sure the gameplay rotates around jumping onto and off of platforms, while avoiding/hitting enemies and getting from point A to point B. It’s the platformer formula that we have all come to love over the years, and the same time tire of after so many decades. Thankfully, that’s only the surface of the game.
What makes Schrödinger’s Cat’s gameplay separate from the pack is the inclusion of quarks and the enormous amount of nerdy humor that comes along with them. The quarks come in many different flavors. You mix and match quarks in particular groups to create solutions along the way. For example, mixing two yellow quarks together with one purple quark will produce a way to break through walls. If you mix three yellow quarks together, then you gain the ability to fly like a helicopter temporarily. If you mix three green quarks together, then you turn into a giant green bubble that allows you to roll through green goo walls. You get the picture, I’m sure. You use these quarks to figure out puzzles put forth in front of you during the adventure. For example, there was a level where I had to create a helicopter (three yellow quarks) and then create a platform (three red quarks) for me to drop on before the helicopter disappeared. Doing both of these, one right after the other, allowed me to get to the edge of a very high ledge. It had to be timed perfectly and it is a good example of types of puzzles you’ll be running into during the game. Again, thinking on the fly.
This the main draw to the game, outside of the Earthworm Jim-like abilities from Schrödinger’s Cat. All of this is enough to make the gameplay experience simple, yet complicated enough to keep you engaged. My kids loved this game and I tend to agree with them.
Another neat draw to the gameplay is how beautifully unpredictable the level design turned out. The levels are gorgeous, all over the place (again, kind of like Earthworm Jim) and stylish enough to keep you interested in short stints. It also helps that there are checkpoints all over the place, so if you get killed or stuck in a certain area, you can return to that area and restart pretty quick, and pretty close to where you left off. It sounds like something that should be a no-brainer, but keep in mind that most Mario games like giving you only one checkpoint in a level (sometimes none), so multiples help out quite nicely, especially on some of the larger levels.
Yet another treat with the game is the fantastic dialogue that Italic Pig and Team 17 put together. Witty dialogue and a point/click type answering system keeps the story interesting. Not to mention, most of what is said in the game is full of fantastic physic puns. If the gameplay doesn’t glue it together for you, then the dialogue should bring it around a bit. People that might not enjoy the humor in this game are those that simply don’t understand the jokes, or enormously bitter in their life. Anyway, the personalities and the world built for Schrödinger’s Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark adventure is fun and impressive.
So, is there a down side to the game? Well, some levels feel a bit long in the tooth at times, while others might feel a bit too easy. Granted, this game probably has kids in mind, but the humor and dialogue seem to say otherwise (or at least express some diversity to its gaming audience). The quark element to the gameplay does make the gaming unique, but sometimes the simplicity of the levels can feel as if the developers were being cautious with their quark puzzles instead of adventurous and daring. That being said, I still think the gameplay has a lot more pros than it does cons. Way more.
Visually, the game is stunning to watch. While it may not scream PlayStation 4 (not a lot of games do right now), the art style is playful, colorful and breathes life into the gaming experience. The animation is smoothly done and the personalities, even the quarks, seem to stand out quite a bit. I particularly like the visual level design, as it feels like a completely different world that had a lot of thought put into it. In short, it’s a visually appealing game and it sticks to its guns when it comes to a particular style. Again (and again), this game reminds me of Earthworm Jim, which sported unique levels that were incredibly unpredictable.
With all of this said, is the game fun and worth the price? The game is fun, but not over-the-top fun. The dialogue and the usage of various quarks to solve puzzles on the fly help to make the game more than just another platformer. Some levels do tend to feel a bit boring at times, but not enough to keep me from playing. If I hadn’t received this for free for review, I would have probably dropped the $9.99 for it. My kids like, I like it and I think most people who play it would like it.
Just brush up on your physics before starting it. Trust me, it will help with the humor.
