Metamorphosis

A First Look by flotsam

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There are a few games where you get to play as a bug, but not since Bad Mojo has scuttling been so buggishly scuttly.

I am about 90 minutes of playing time in, and having settled into the dynamics am starting to enjoy myself. There is jumping to do, and the very low perspective can make it trickier than if you were 6 feet tall. Early on I was incredibly frustrated, falling to a squelchy death on many occasions, but I got better at how to manage the perspective, and the frustration ebbed.

On the upside, your bug legs seem capable of grabbing less then flat surfaces, and with "sticky feet" (a result of stepping in certain substances) you can walk along anything that doesn't put you completely upside down for a period of time. The way the orientation changes is rather nifty; just don't let go of the relevant button until you are back on horizontal ground!

I have spoken to a few other bugs, and listened in on a few human conversations. The fact I used to be a person adds intrigue as I make my way to the mysterious Tower.

The game uses a first person perspective, and the fact your cockroach front legs are visible adds a little something. It's nowhere near as icky or "real" as Bad Mojo, but the world is a detailed one and appealingly realised.

It uses the keyboard and the mouse to get around, autosaves as you go, and will tell you how much play time has elapsed since the last save when you seek to exit.