Horace

Release Date: July 18, 2019

Arcade, science fiction, platformers, 2D, metroidvania, indie games, side-scroll, singleplayer

8.2

OpenCritic

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Platform game with elements borrowed from a number of other genres. In Horace, we play the role of the title character, who has to find not only his own place in an unfriendly world, but also the members of his family.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Horace is a production combining elements from platform games and adventure games, contains solutions taken from a number of other genres, headed by metroidvania. The title was developed by a two independent developers - Paul Helman and Sean Skaplehorn - and its release was taken by the company 505 Games. In addition to the iconic works from the time of 8- and 16-bit, the source of inspiration for developers were the works of Douglas Adams - a famous British writer, in whose portfolio you can find, in particular, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy cycle.

Plot

The main character of the game Horace is the robot Horace, which we meet at a time when he is quietly working among people, and considered for their owners, as a member of the family. When the main character gets a task to clean up a million garbage, he willingly takes it upon himself to perform it. The idyll is interrupted by a tragedy, after which the hero is disconnected for several long years. After awakening, our protégé still strives to fulfill the mission assigned to him, but, in addition, tries to find members of his family, as well as his place in a new, hostile world.

Despite the game's black or specific British humor, as well as pop culture references, the story was constructed in a way that "captures the heart."

Mechanics

During the game Horace, we travel to different locations, talk to the characters we meet and perform various tasks, as well as jump on platforms and avoid numerous traps. From time to time, we also have to solve environmental puzzles that block progress in the story, and fight fierce boss battles; during the latter, we must demonstrate not only dexterity and reflexes, but also insight, in time to notice the weaknesses of opponents.

As in metroidvania type games, wanting to get to certain places, we often need special skills or certain equipment. We are talking, for example, about special gravity boots that allow the main character to step on walls and ceilings (be careful, because if Horace "falls" from the ceiling, he will "fall" further until he flies into space), or even about special armor that increases his resistance to injury.

Despite the fact that in most cases we observe the action from the side, from time to time the camera changes its position, showing events from behind the hero (TPP) or even from the first person (FPP). Special mention should be made about the numerous mini-games implemented in this production, which are derived from various types of video games; among them we find simple arcade games, car racing or rhythm games.

Technical aspects

Horace has eye-pleasing graphics. Although they performed it in the pixel art technique, the developers managed to create elaborate locations and memorable characters. An interesting move is to voice the sentences spoken by the protagonist with a speech synthesizer.

Videos and Screens

[1:30] Horace console trailer

[0:51] Horace trailer #1

8.2

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 86% of Critics. There are 28 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

Metro GameCentral: 8 / 10

A labour of love that pays brilliantly inventive tribute to the platform genre and the 8 and 16-bit eras in general.

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Worth Playing: 7.5 / 10 by Cody Medellin

In the end, Horace is an engaging experience if you're patient or don't get riled up easily.

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Pure Nintendo: 9.5 / 10 by Kirk Hiner

Horace is a pitch-perfect puzzle platformer that expertly balances addictive gameplay with its moving tale of a robot trying to discover himself in a world that makes no sense. It knows why we love video games, and it confirms we're right to do so.

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