3/5 ★ – PhilMyth's review of Unto The End.

Originally written for Nintendo Village: https://www.thenintendovillage.com/articles/unto-the-end-review *** All too often these days, a game with a challenging combat system that asks its players to be patient gets slapped with the Souls-like moniker and that’s the end of the story. Doing that with Unto The End would be a great injustice though, as even though the methodical, read/react combat does invoke a similar challenge, there’s an impressive amount of depth to other areas of the game too. Developed by the husband and wife team of 2 Ton Studios, Unto The End has a fairly simple setup so far as narrative goes. You’re the patriarch of a small family, and you’ve got to get back to them. In order to do so, you’ll have to cross mountains and plunder caves, dealing with all manner of creatures and monsters as you do so. Patience Is A Virtue I say ‘deal’ rather than ‘fight’ because swinging your sword around isn’t always required to progress past a gaggle of beasties. There’s plenty of encounters where the creatures you cross paths with will pause upon your arrival. In these moments you can sheath your sword and offer up a token in the name of peace. Doing this can guarantee you safe passage, or even result in a token being offered in return. These items can then be used elsewhere as proof of your good will to avoid a battle with others. It’s a fairly unique system in a 2D action game, and one that really made the world come alive. I really got the sense that there were other creatures and communities hidden away in the mountains, living their own lives. Of course, if your offer is rejected (it happens occasionally if you offer the wrong thing - good gift giving is an art) then you best be ready to throw down, and combat is undoubtedly the core experience of the game. You’re equipped with two main attacks - a high attack and a low one - as well as a dodge roll, a shoulder charge, and a small knife you can throw at your opponent in a pinch. You’ll need to block your opponents high or low attacks by pressing up or down on the left stick before countering with the appropriate swing when there’s an opening. Tougher enemies will knock you to your feet in a single blow, and if you’re unable to roll out of the way in time, you’re likely to drop your sword in the process. Even the weakest enemies are no slouch and this can leave you feeling incredibly vulnerable. Of course, if you roll past an attack and pick up your sword in the process before unleashing an attack of your own, you’ll be feeling invincible yourself. It’s this ebbing and flowing of battle that makes Unto The End such a rewarding game to play. Patience is required though. If you just go in swinging you’re likely to die quickly and often. There is an ‘easy mode’ in which enemies pause for a little longer when telegraphing their attacks, giving you a bigger window in which to react, but even that is tougher than most games. Give Me A ‘D’, Give Me An ‘Arkness’ The need to carefully watch your opponents makes the decision to place most of the game in close to total darkness a bit of a baffling one. Moving through the outside areas is an absolute joy. Snowy forests and vast mountain ranges situate the action in gorgeous surroundings, and the solid colours - from your ginger beard to the blood smeared across your enemies - really pop. Unfortunately a good chunk of the game - perhaps 50% or more it feels like - takes place within dark caves. This, along with the absence of music, certainly adds to the ambience of proceedings. When all you can hear is your own footsteps and laboured breathing, a sudden snarl in the darkness can really set you on edge. But it renders that wonderful combat maddeningly frustrating. You do have a torch, but it barely lights more than an inch in front of you and your bearded warrior promptly drops it once you start using your sword. So if you’ve rolled out of the way of one attack, you’re no longer in the light and it’s impossible to see whether you need to block high or low. Similarly it’s all to easy to walk off a ledge. You can move the right stick around to raise or lower your torch, illuminating the ceiling or floor ahead of you… but not whilst you’re walking. Having to stop to lower the torch to make sure you’re not about to fall to your death gets incredibly tiresome incredibly fast. The methodical approach to combat is rewarding. Methodical walking around? Not so much. VERDICT Despite that one major headache, Unto The End is still a very enjoyable ride. The multiple ways you can approach each encounter makes for a compelling world and offers some replayability too. The sound design and art style is also fantastic and the combat is superb. It’s just a shame so much of the game is hidden away in the dark.