Posted in: Games, Preview, Video Games | Tagged: Early Access, HRL, Hydra Interactive Entertainment, Steam, Upside-Down Dimensions.

Getting Feudal With Paper: We Preview 'Upside-Down Dimensions'

Ever since Portal became a major deal, there have been a plethora of co-op games that have been created that try to utilize the same principals without being a copy. The idea of one person's actions helping the other person out in order to achieve whatever goals may be in front of you may not be new, but having it be a world-wide effect certainly was at the time, and like all inspired devs, people have tried to put their spin on it. One of the latest games that fall into this category is Upside-Down Dimensions, a game in Steam's Early Access being produced by Hydra Interactive Entertainment. We got ourselves a copy and decided to do a quick preview.

Upside-Down Dimensions puts you in a paper-designed world that's meant to look like feudal Japan. You take on the roles of a man and a woman on two different sides of the spectrum, if you will, where your actions in one area affect the other area. Through a combination of puzzle solving and battles, you'll make your way through he platformer on a journey to bring peace to this paper kingdom.

The game itself is a combination of several genres mixed together with minor pieces of each being utilized to create the whole. Aside what we already mentioned, you also have action, hack-n-slash, RPG, and stealth elements to utilize. The game will have you switching back and forth between the man and the woman roles, achieving different things in each land. A good example: In the woman's world, you'll find a box that can't be used on her side, but if she sends it down a specific hole, it will appear on the man's side for him to use on an obstacle.

Each side has its own set of issues. The man's side is filled with enemies that can only be dealt with by killing them off using his weapons. The woman's side has enemies, but she's quicker than the man and can use her speed and stealth to get around them. All of the baddies are working for the Dark Shogun, who is trying to kill off both of them and claim the world for their own. So it's in your best interest to help the other party out as best you can, but when the times comes, you'll need to defend yourself as each character will mostly be left to their own devices in boss battles.

One of the highlights to all of this is simply in the design. It reminded me a lot of a more recent They Might Be Giants music video for "I'm Impressed" where the world feels very real while still retaining this folded paper style. If nothing else about the game interests you, I would at least suggest taking a look at the way it has been created and modeled — I think it's one of the best indie creations to come along this year and deserves more attention than it's getting.

Upside-Down Dimensions is totally worth taking a spin through. Like many of the Early Access titles we've been seeing lately, you can see where it need some cleanup and a tuneup. That being said, it's an adorable little platformer that I would recommend trying out for a bit to see how you feel about it.

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