GameHag rewards below 500SG #2: Reset 1-1

Having trouble getting enough SG? Got your big rewards and still have some SoulGems to spare?
In this new series of small reviews i'm doing called "GameHag rewards below 500SG" i'm going to test and review some of the gamerewards you can get on GameHag for 500SG or less.
In this second episode I will be reviewing Reset 1-1, a retro-stylized 2D platform RPG released 30 August 2016 on Steam.
Reset has a "Mixed" rating on Steam mainly because it caters to a specific niche, some flaws and its difficulty. Reset 1-1 is available as reward on GameHag for only 400SG.
Find out more about it by reading the review and stay tuned for more!

80's/90's Platforming galore

Reset 1-1 is another retro-stylized platform RPG that tries to cash in on the succes as previous Indie Hits like Meatboy. Graphics are again heavily pixelated to simulate that retro 8-bit homecomputer feel and personally i would describe this game as a Castlevania/Super Mario Hybrid with Meatboy difficulty. Its levels, although highly pixelated, are detailed and colorful and will remind you of nostalgic classic games. The gameplay is quick and full of action but sadly the controls may feel somewhat quirky, It does have some great music and good SFX.



The story is very flimsy and of little importance to the game; The world as you know it has ended and demons are invading and taking over. You are the unknown hero who has to stop this and find the way to a new beginning.
The game doesn't need a story really, basically you just jump and fight your way through platforming levels, collect items, level up your character while battling hordes of demons and defeat the boss at the end of the level.
Reset 1-1 has a very steep difficulty curve and not every item will be an improvement over the previous one, there's even one weapon that will damage yourself when used. Because of its quirky controls and physics jumping to some platform might get unnecessary frusttrating. Luckely there is an option to save your game.

That being said, Reset 1-1 does feel polished in the graphical department. Especially the bosses are smoothly animated and often there are many colorful particles onscreen. This however could be better optimized because for such a relative simple game many people do experience some minor lag when there is a lot going on onscreen, even with beefier computers.
Every time you die the onscreen colors will tone down to sepia and eventually grey only to be restored after finishing the level.



The enemies are plentyful and diverse, each with their own attacks and patterns. Sadly the are not implemented well in later levels meaning that instead of getting increasingly difficult, you will just encounter bigger groups of enemies. Because of this you might find yourself trying to avoid them more often than to engage them in battle which results in a rush to the boss-fights. the levelling system feels somewhat confusing and random.


A quick finish

Reset 1-1 is does not have many levels and so can be finished in a few hours. The absolutely bad part of Reset 1-1 is that it still contains a few bugs, many glitches and many users report it to crash often. On the plus side; there are Steam trading cards and an achievement to be obtained for playing the game, and platformer enthousiasts will enoy playing it despite its flaws.


Conclusion:

Neutral: -Reset 1-1 caters to a specific niche of platformer enthousiast who enjoy difficulty, certainly not for everyone. To the average player the many flaws the game can get somewhat frustrating. It shines in grahical and musical department, but lacks optimization. Due to the short length of the game, lack of interesting levelling system and lack of proper story the game offers little replay value. However good to grab a few Steam trading cards and a achievement to boast to friends.



Pros:
 Save feature
 Great pixelized graphics and Music
 Good variation of enemies
 Interesting and unique bosses
 Trading cards and achievement

Cons:
 Quirky controls/physics
 Bugs and glitches
 Unnecessarily difficult at times
 Very short

Reset 1-1 is available as reward on GameHag for only 400SG