Bite-sized Review: Necroboy

By Chris Picone, 18 November 2022

Necroboy is a 3D puzzle game with a spooky vibe and a great sense of humour that would be absolutely perfect for young gamers or families.

Aesthetics

Graphics are low poly – not my favourite style but done well; lots of purples to give off that “spooky” vibe, cute despite the “spooky” setting, nicely made but particularly appealing for a younger audience.

Gameplay

Necroboy predominantly gives you an over-the-shoulder view although it’s got pretty good camera controls that allow you to zoom in and out and rotate freely. Some of your abilities also allow you to scan the map with a top-down view (which also lets you check ahead to find the exit and plan your approach for longer puzzles). Puzzles are primarily switch/lever, with various combinations (double switches, interlocking switches, switches that require multiple activators, moving blocks). You can’t activate them yourself though; instead, you need to send your minions to do it. Luckily, they can go places you can’t. That’s the layer of gameplay that makes the puzzles interesting: You need to guide your minions from switch to switch, freezing and unfreezing as you plot a course through interlocking gates while simultaneously navigating yourself toward the exit.

Verdict

I found the puzzles to be on the easy side even as they became more complex. I also found it did feel a little repetitive after a while, although this is probably due at least in part to the extremely gentle learning curve. If it sounds like these are negative points, they aren’t: I think Necroboy’s predominantly aimed at a much younger audience, and with that in mind I think everything’s as it should be. And in any case, I still enjoyed playing; I found the cutscenes between levels very engaging and genuinely enjoyed the game’s sense of humour. So the verdict? Necroboy is a terrific puzzle game for younger players.

Links: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1628890/NecroBoy__Path_to_Evilship/