I recently reviewed a game that took a closer look at the subject of depression. It used its narrative to shed light on an issue that can do a lot of damage but often lies in the shadows and is seldom discussed. The Path of Motus does something similar. In this case, the matter is bullying. The game takes aim at giving players a better understanding of what we can do to motivate ourselves beyond those people who tell us to not bother and that we’re not good enough. I’m not sure who The Path of Motus was intended for. The subject of bullying always seems to come up with children and I can easily see this being targeted at a younger audience. But there may be an important lesson for adults in here as well. This is a simple side scrolling and puzzle adventure title from a team of two in Michael Hicks and Goncalo Antunes that make up MichealArts development studio.
The Path of Motus puts players in to the shoes of Motus, a young and adventurous troll who sets out to explore what lies beyond his village. Despite warnings from his father and neighbors about the dangers of the surrounding forest, Motus pushes onward to conquer both physical and mental challenges that so many have told him are insurmountable. The outlying area of Motus’ village is filled with doubters and naysayers. These are trolls who have attempted to make a better life for themselves away from the village but have failed. Motus will also find several allusions about his own fathers life in the land beyond his village. This all combines to paint a picture of self doubt and create a fear of trying. The soft and cartoon-y but impressive art style can be pretty misleading as there is a lot of tonal depth here, especially for a title that may be heavily aimed at children.
Motus utilizes very simple platforming mechanics to traverse the outskirts of his village. Moving from left to right along with a jump and shout attacks are really all that are at play here. Our protagonist can move past bullies that block his way using one of two methods. Firstly, Motus can hurl shout attacks at enemies. These are meant to mimic the hurtful curses that bullies use on their victims and symbolize Motus standing up for himself. If these attacks match the same color attack that an enemy uses, they will collide and render both attacks ineffective, basically like a block. If the color of the attack does not match, it will move past any other incoming attack and hit the enemy. You will need to react quickly if you choose these offensive approaches. A single hit will mean death, but Motus will simply respawn right where the encounter began giving failure little meaning.
The second more challenging yet rewarding tactic is to take the high road and avoid conflict altogether. This occurs when Motus finds a way to move past the enemy without engaging it. There are approximately two dozen high road opportunities peppered throughout the game and going back to uncover ways to unlock all of these adds a nice touch of replayability. The problem with this mechanic is that it isn’t very well explained. I stumbled on this by mistake, and then realized that faint insignia’s found near encounters are supposed to tip players off that this is a chance to take the high road by not eliminating the bullies that stand in your way. When you successfully move past the enemy without killing it, the insignia will unlock and turn gold.
As The Path of Motus intended, it was much more rewarding and enjoyable to conquer foes by taking the high road. Trying to time shout attacks and defenses gets old quick, and never feels satisfying. I only wish the game allowed more high road opportunities and put more of a focal point on achieving them. It ties so well into the narrative and a shame that it was used so sparingly.
Aside from platforming and dealing with enemies, the other focal point of The Path of Motus is puzzle solving. These simple to understand but often arduous puzzles require the player to connect nodes using a predetermined number of connection points. These often take on the form of bridges as chasms cannot be crossed until the puzzle is solved. It’s clever as the final completed puzzle closely resembles a bridge. I will admit that I let out a groan when I encountered my first, but swiftly grew fond on these puzzles. They are able to balance challenge and reward nicely and are simple enough for anyone to understand their concept.
The Path of Motus provides backstory through the placement of notes and letters throughout the world. The majority of these notes are found in separate optional areas and can be missed if you’re in a hurry. Some are even locked behind optional puzzles and will require extra dedication to collect. However these story snippets do a good job at adding value and providing depth to the story. With each note or letter uncovered, the player will see their progress of how many of the twenty two strewn throughout the game they’ve unlocked. Many of them elaborate on Motus’ own father and his past as well as draw parallels to Motus’ current situation.
Recommendation: Given that this is the product of a development team of only two, The Path of Motus is an impressive feat. The game does have it’s downfalls – it doesn’t provide anything particularly ground breaking in the gameplay department and it leaves some of the better gameplay mechanics poorly exposed. However, The Path of Motus does have an important story to tell. It brings with it a unique and interesting art style, some very memorable music, and a well worthy challenge in its puzzle solving.
The Path of Motus releases on Steam on July 17, 2018.
The Path of Motus was provided to the reviewer by the publishing company but this fact did not alter the reviewer’s opinion.
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