A Walk In The Dark

Developer: Flying Turtle
Steam Release: Nov 2013
Hours Played: 3.4
Similar To: 6180 The Moon / Gravity Cat /  N++ / Run Rabbit Run / Super Meat Boy
Rating: 2/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY
A Walk in the Dark is another of those underrated precision platformers that largely remains buried and unnoticed in the depths of the Steam catalogue. Its core gameplay involves a speed-run dash where you mainly jump and wall-jump your way to the awaiting portal at the end of the level. Your character alternates every five levels or so between an acrobatic nimble black cat and a child in a large dress. In the early stages, the cat usually embarks on the more conventional jumping runs while the child tackles the inverted gravity variety a la VVVVVV and Limbo  As well as the task of leaping over spikes, in between deadly saws and onto topsy-turvy platforms, you'll also have to outrun large porcupines hell-bent on your destruction and giant frogs who block your path. 

BALANCE & PACE
Overall, AWITD is a great success. Both characters are responsive and their movements are smooth and pleasant to control. As a speed-run game, levels are designed to be over with quickly and they tend to last somewhere between 30 seconds to a minute making it an excellent coffee-break game. Death, which becomes more frequent as you progress, results in an instant restart but the timer begins when your character is portalled onto the screen not at the moment when you start moving so you'll need to be at the ready from the off. There are "par" times and one crystal to collect per level which are achievable for the average player and do not require your run to be practically optimal like a Mighty Switch Force or a Mos Speedrun 2. For a speed-run game it is fairly forgiving. 

PRESENTATION & DESIGN
The design and presentation is slick and classy rather than garish and cheap. To a lone tinkering grand piano, the game has two sombre environments: a wood or forest and an industrial setting with cogs and machinery. The lighting is similar to Limbo suggesting a sunset or sunrise but rather than white and shades of grey to highlight the background there is one subtle colour that changes each level. The cat animations, as it leaps and bounds majestically, are particularly pleasing to the eye while its death is also done very well as it expires in a delicate puff of smoke. The art-work for the par-time and crystal acquisition awards are also tastefully done in red and blue and the overall colour scheme, including in the hand-drawn level-select screen, all add up to give the game that certain class.

PROGRESS SYSTEM
Your progress is mapped out on a scrollable level-select screen with hand-drawn sketches of trees and various mechanical contraptions. They are grouped in batches of three to five small cogs which represent your levels. Completing a level unlocks further ones and it allows you to tackle a half a dozen or so new ones so you're not just limited to one like so many other games. A white cog indicates the level is complete and a fuzzy glowing one shows you've collected the crystal. It also displays the par-time along with your best time. Once again the whole art-style and design is slick and spot on. Finally, you also have solid and quick leaderboards for each level showing your best-time and rank.

CONCLUSION

AWITD is one of my go-to precision platformers because it's such a well-rounded package. The graphics are solid offering smooth gameplay with no stutter; there are next to zero load-screens making jumping in and out of levels quick and painless, and the movement and controls just makes the gameplay pleasurable. On top of that, the presentation and the recording of stats and best-times makes it very user-friendly. There is no confusion or cryptic nonsense making it difficult to work out where you stand or how far into the game you are. All of which adds up to making this a title I can whole-heartedly recommend to those into platform-based speed-runners.