Eekeemoo: Splinters of the Dark Shard

Eekeemoo: Splinters of the Dark Shard for PS4, XONE and PC is a dynamic 3D platformer game focusing on fighting numerous battles against many opponents at a time. The game world was based on the series of comic books created by William Morris-Julien (alias Willy MJ), which present adventures of a brave Eskimo by the name of Eekeemoo, accompanied by friends. Eekeemoo and the Singing Stone (the first part of said series) was released in the years 2007-2008, in the form of an online comic strip; the story presented in it, does not make use of any dialogues, thus it was easy for international audiences to get acquainted with it. The success of the little Eskimo's adventures prompted the creator to bring another part into existence, that is, Eekeemoo in the Cloud City. Some time later, the third part's production started, and it was called Eekeemoo - Black Sun Rising; a crowdfunding campaign was set up on the Kickstarter platform for this part – its aim was to gather the funding required for a color edition. In Eekeemoo: Splinters of the Dark Shard, the player meets the titular Eekeemoo, but also other characters the fans of the comic series are familiar with, such as the sympathetic troll by the name of Yum Yum, or the princess Nim.

Plot

The protagonist in Eekeemoo: Splinters of the Dark Shard, is the titular Eskimo – a young inhabitant and lord protector of a magic land known as Northern Light. Eekeemoo is the last representative of an ancient Eskimo order of fighters, based loosely on ninja warriors. Its legacy is all about almost superhuman proficiency as it comes to different styles of swordsmanship. However, fighting with a sword isn’t the little warrior's greatest advantage – it is his special heart, charged by the power of stars. Not only does it keep the protagonist alive, but also allows to levitate and fly at very high speeds.

The game begins when the heart of the protagonist gets stolen by the evil Dark Shard. Also, the mysterious enemy kidnapps Eekeemoo's best friends: the warm-hearted Yum Yum, the princess Nim, and a robot called D-Bot. Equipped with his reliable swords, the Eskimo sets out for a journey across four worlds in order to free the friends, reclaim his heart, and relieve the world of the Dark Shard's evil powers.

Mechanics

Eekeemoo: Splinters of the Dark Shard for PS4, XONE and PC is a 3D action platformer requiring the player to complete levels filled with traps and different kinds of enemies. The player encounters entire hordes of regular enemies, squads of powerful and durable trolls, medusa-like, flying creatures, crystals firing deadly beams, and many others. From time to time, the player also has to face a powerful boss – defeating such an opponent requires the player to be quick and creative.

On their path, the protagonist has to avoid many threats, such as spikes coming out of the ground or traps installed in a bridge. Some of the traps can be taken advantage of in order to eliminate the enemies. For instance, as most of the enemies simply go towards the protagonist, the player can lure a group of enemies into a zone filled with spinning blades – although the player can easily jump over the blades, the enemy soldiers get decimated, or at least largely wounded. The enemies defeated drop useful items, such as hearts replenishing health of golden coins.

Interestingly, the player can take on the roles of the characters they managed to free from the hands of the Dark Shard. Replacing Eeekeemoo with Yum Yum, the troll, allows the player to experience the game world from the perspective of a slower, though significantly stronger character. Freeing the princess Nim on the other hand, gives the player access to a character that attacks at a distance, using magical energy balls.

Technical aspects

Eekeemoo: Splinters of the Dark Shard for PS4, XONE and PC utilizes an engine popular among the smaller developers, that is, Unity 3D. Although fairly simple, the visuals resemble comic books a little bit. The cutscenes displayed between subsquent levels are very basic, created in the form of static boards bearing subtitles.

Last updated on 08 March 2017