[Review] Filmechanism - Nintendo Switch

Developed By: Chemical Pudding
Published By: Phoenixx 
Categories: Puzzle, Platformer
Release Date: 12.15.21

I like puzzle platformers. The ones that really make you think. Maybe even overthink a simple solution. Filmechanism is one of those games. And would you know it, I really enjoyed this little game.

Filmechanism has a bit of a gimmick to it. You play as REC, who has a camera for a head. You can Record how objects are placed. Move them, then when you want them back to where they were, since they could be a bit of an obstacle now, you can Restore. Say a block needs to be moved, or a spike falls, or you need to stack platforms a certain way, but you already dealt with them in moving around? Well, Record them before they move. Then do what you need to do, get to the other part of the area and Restore.

That might sound a bit confusing, but it’s really not. On top of that, the first half dozen levels in the game are a good, in-depth tutorial. I always like when they ease you into a game like this instead of just having a screen of text and images.

Each world in the game has three paths. Normal, Hard, and Hell. This should be self explanatory for difficulties. You can play all of the stages if you want, I know I at least attempted to, but if you just want to play on Normal, that’s fine and you won’t be penalized. The reason upfront to play as many stages as possible is to get more money. This money can be used to give you hints, which you may or may not need.

The sprites are bit too colorful and bit too detailed for the look, but at first my brain thought “Gameboy color pallet”. You know, the very washed out green, blue, red, orange, purple. It’s a bit of a nostalgic thing for me. I quite like how the game looks. Simple, but eyecatching, not too simple to be minimalistic. The sound effects hit that perfect spot too.

This is my kind of platformer. Simple, great in small doses, and isn’t easy. I love the kind of game that makes you think, but doesn’t make you feel stupid. While rewinding isn’t new for platformers, I do like the way the Record and Restore functions work and how the stages are built around them.