There often comes a time when a game pulls through so strongly on a singular premise or idea that it’s easy to dismiss other aspects present – less-effective they may admittedly be – as far from detrimental or damaging to one’s enjoyment. Duly noted these shortcomings will be, that a game not only introduces a concept, that it not only fulfills its end of the arrangement through some early positive impression, but best of all, finds ways to continually build in and around said premise to its very end. The hallmarks of any great puzzle game, all while housing more of a close relationship to that of RPGs or games more commonly associated with action and combat. Even when it runs the risk of straying too far into some artistic endeavor to be symbolic or weighty in its themes, that a game like Worldless is still as interesting and as appealing a premise as it is takes some doing.
The good news is that its developer, Noname Studios, thankfully keep this risk of pretense at arm’s length. Not quite going all-in or indulging completely, but having it float close enough in proximity that it would be wrong to deny that these same lofty, metaphoric – and potentially fatal – intentions aren’t present. Not overtly-controlling to what kind of game Worldless ends up being, but noticeable nonetheless. And it’s because the core gimmick – its ATB-influenced, turn-based battles – is not only so centrally-positioned, but more importantly a pure delight to work with, that Noname can get away with the odd metaphoric connotation here and there.
But this is exactly what these kinds of games need if they’re to garner any degree of attention that’s anything but “oh, it’s another one of those games.” And yes, one glance at its geometrically-abstract aesthetic, haunting ambient soundtrack and its recurring narrative interjections on conflict and opposition may fuel that early dismissal. That Worldless can push back against those worrisome prejudices – valid they may be – to create a game that’s more about its mechanics than necessarily its visuals is a huge plus. Worldless isn’t exactly the most unique setting or locale to traverse (as much as its presser would oh-so love to have you believe), but the novelty, nuance and surprising level of challenge present makes Noname’s debut outing a curious-enough investment to see through.
As that prior descriptor might imply, Worldless' combat borrows from the traditional Final Fantasy playbook of being both turn-based in its affairs – player makes their move, enemy makes their move, repeat – but employing a timer that governs how long a player has to keep attacking. The trick then is maximizing one’s damage output during these limited engagements, all while being smart in the type of attack one dishes out. Specific foes being weak, resistant or entirely immune based on what you commit time to dishing out. An aspect that’s greatly expanded upon as soon the two main classes of physical and magical offense are further expanded on via directional and elemental choices alike. But as far as defending one’s self from the same brand of attacks, your only means of preventing one’s own health bar from depleting comes by way of blocking. A health bar that, should it reach zero, jettisons you out of the fight to have you restart it from scratch. As non-existent death is in Worldless, the failure of coming so close only to falter at the final hurdle feels just as effective as any game over might.
A charitable tell to indicate what kind of attack is coming your way does provide assistance in this regard. Horizontal streaks for one, vertical for another, varying quantities indicating how many times you need to block. While you can simply stand your ground and hold your defensive stance for the entire duration of an enemy’s turn, the key to success is perfectly timing one’s blocks so as not to erode too much of your shield’s energy. Outside of the benefits a perfect guard brings (especially later on when that can be upgraded with more counter-attacking proficiency), relying too much on insulating one’s self with your shield could very well leave yourself open to a fatal blow. This all may sound relatively unimportant for any other turn-based game, but given that your health bar can’t be refilled during combat (outside of a late-game upgrade, but even then is reliant on taking a risk with said ability), fights in Worldless feel less like conventional RPG grind and funnily enough, more like standalone puzzles to work out. Puzzles that players can of course brute-force through as to progress on, but for those patient and willing enough to learn, offer sufficient rewards in the long-run.
This is partly where the skill tree comes into focus, but this leaning into players sticking with the combat is where a lot of Worldless' good will ultimately stems from. For it’s not just regular damage to an enemy’s health bar players must consider, but so too the amount of what’s dubbed Absorption damage that’s inflicted. Absorption damage represented by a meter in the bottom-right of the screen that one must reach a threshold on so as to initiate an opportunity to absorb that enemy’s powers. A climactic and rather tense inputting of a hidden four button prompt that when successful grants you an upgrade point to spend on new skills and stats alike. This normally wouldn’t prove that notable an aspect to highlight had Worldless, like so many RPG-lite examples prior, gone down the route of simply offering paltry rewards like some single-digit, percentile buff or a trait to an ability seldom used.
Instead, Worldless wonderfully breaks from tradition in actually providing a skill tree whose branching paths and opportunities to improve certain attributes all feel vital to one’s eventual journey. Not least for the latter-period encounters – optional and mandatory alike – it’s surprising how many times one felt uncertain on whether to invest in something like a permanent stat upgrade (increases to one’s timer during turns or even an additional layer to one’s shield), an opportune skill to employ during combat (for example, a way to not only absorb damage, but parry and send it back at the enemy) or even just an added move or extended combo for a specific attack type. For a game whose visual aesthetic might suggest relative predictability and sparse offerings, Worldless' combat is anything but. A system that more surprisingly gets rather deep during the second-half once – through narrative and non-narrative reasons alike – one’s move-set is greatly expanded and the need to chain together combos of varying attack types is the key to victory.
And boy does combat in Worldless get truly involved and highly satisfying to see through in the second-half as a result. Not to say that the former half isn’t entertaining by its own relatively-limited scale, but through a combination of trickier encounters coupled with their accompanying gimmicks or hidden tricks to reveal and exploit, it’s a no-brainer to say that Worldless' combat isn’t just the stand-out element, but it’s one that is so wonderfully crafted in all regards. That Noname Studios have crafted something that is as much a visual delight to watch unfold let alone a mechanical one – especially when it all finally clicks and you’re successfully stringing together hard-hitting combos, dodges and instantaneous switching between moves. It’s the type of combat that admittedly does lead players to a singular end goal. One that requires more investment and commitment to learning its ins and outs than initially suspected, but whose route to success is highly rewarding.
Sure, there are unfortunately a couple instances here and there of battles in Worldless that are tainted by the oh-so-loathsome cheap, out-of-leftfield hit that seemingly depletes your entire health. Parts in Worldless that do offer a slight smear on what is a mostly fair and balanced curve of difficulty. But minor spikes aside, that the inconvenience of failure in battle always comes with a consolation that one is getting closer or at least learning to be more efficient with the skills at one’s disposal. This, without much in the way of overbearing tutorials and instead simply leaving players to deduce for themselves how best to spend their time, is the reason why Worldless' gameplay manages to stay fresh and inviting throughout.
Eventually broadening out into the more exploratory aspects of Worldless as players go about Metroidvania-style unlocking new abilities and uncovering more of the abstract world. As noted, there isn’t much in the way of environmental detail to ponder over here; in a way, the world and setting of Worldless quickly finds itself playing second-fiddle to the combat encounters. But again, it’s through the combat and the need to build up one’s abilities where the notion of hunting down optional foes and collectibles to further one’s stats is redeemed. Foes that at points go full puzzle-centric as to how one goes about “beating” them. The criteria for victory coming not so much through whittling a health bar down, but in some cases, enacting certain abilities or attacks before an unseen timer runs out. In fact, the best kinds of optional fights are those that pit you as the over-leveled participant – requiring you to be more careful in one’s moves so as to meet the desired Absorption damage threshold, and bizarre as it may sound, prevent the enemy from dying too soon.
These added temptations to spend more time out in the field do go a long way to mitigating other aspects to Worldless that sadly aren’t as effective and in some cases fall short of the same level of care in the way they’re crafted. One of which is the rendition of a mini-map; represented by a series of interconnected, constellation-like network of lines. A reasonable enough style given the aesthetic, but the minimalist nature of its appearance can prove confusing (bordering on utterly useless) when one eventually gets lost or just winds up unsure on which way to go next. An unfortunate case of artistry overruling the need for practicality. For all the great work placed in making sure the combat is one you can quickly work out and understand, Worldless doesn’t always succeed at being universally clear. An early instance in figuring out which region of the world to even start from is joined soon-after wherein identifying what constitutes as solid ground and what’s in fact water proved trickier than it had any right to be. A consequence again of the chosen minimalist art-style that at worst is rather flavorless and devoid of character.
Closing Comments:
Though its turn-based combat may end up doing most of the heavy-lifting, that Noname Studios have cleverly crafted something that’s both fleshed out and as appealing as it is, means Worldless still winds up a delightful studio debut. That something as well-established as a turn-based system can feel fresh and exciting all over again. Aided on top by the puzzle-like construction and re-framing combat as one to work out. One where the smartest moves are just as important as the strongest sort. Such is the variety and continued evolution on its premise, it’s enough of a strong showing that it relegates the otherwise less-exciting elements to that of minor frustrations. Out amidst its geometrically-abstract environments things may look ordinary and plain, but it’s thanks to its combat encounters where Worldless flaunts its creativity where and when it matters most. A premise that is not only interesting, but both challenging and stylish alike.
