Glyph

Glyph is a 3D platform game inspired by classic games. The game brings to mind mainly Kula World, but we can also notice similarities to the Super Mario series and Super Monkey Ball. The game was developed by Bolverk Games, an independent studio.

Plot

Main hero of Glyph is mechanical scarab wandering through the lands of ancient civilisation. However, there are only ruins and boundless desert left - the rest was destroyed by mechanical monsters, which poisoned whole area. Glyph must find the resources needed to rebuild the temple city of Aaru, bring the land back to life and confront the source of the plague.

Mechanics

Just like in typical platform games, gameplay in Glyph is all about passing levels full of platforming challenges, although there are a lot of differences. The hero we control remains in sphere form almost all the time, literally rolling around the stage just like the ball from Kula World. As a result, the levels, at least at first, are quite flat and narrow, and in almost every place we have to be careful not to accidentally fall into the lava or sand (which apparently is as certain a death as burning).

However, Glyph can do much more than this. With time, the robot learns not only to jump (even in the air), but also to glide, climb vertical walls, perform a crushing attack, etc. In practice, we spend even more time in the air than on the ground, combining mastered techniques into long stunts. With their help we collect various items scattered around the stages, including coins and gems necessary to unlock parts of the city of Aaru (serving as the central location, or hub) and levels, as well as artifacts and numerous secrets.

All of this brings us closer to the end of the game, although we don't have to discover everything to see the end credits. You can always skip the most difficult of the more than 80 levels and possibly return to them later, when you become more skilled at controlling Glyph. Even if you do manage to complete all the levels, there are still time trials waiting for you in Aaru, which are a true test of your skill. However, even during these challenges, the game maintains a calm, relaxed atmosphere. Even the enemies cannot directly harm you - only push you down on the deadly sand.

Game modes

Glyph is a single-player game. We find here only the tutorial teaching the basics of the game and numerous levels, each of which adds something new to the gameplay. From time to time we also learn something about the story background.

Technical aspects

Glyph is based on simple, somewhat angular 3D graphics. There is no place to look for realism and rich colours, but we can find here plenty of interesting or even beautiful level designs. The relaxing atmosphere of the game is emphasised by the soothing soundtrack composed by Danish musician Frederik Keglberg.

Last updated on 23 August 2021