Seiklus

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Seiklus

Seiklus - WIN - Screenshot - Title Screen.png

Windows - Screenshot - Title.

Developer Clysm
Publisher Clysm
Published 2003-08-15
Platforms Macintosh, Windows
Genres Action-adventure, Exploration, Metroidvania, Platformer
Themes Adventure, Cartoon, Surreal
Distribution Freeware

Seiklus is a platformer Metroidvania video game developed by Clysm and released for free on Windows on 2003-08-15. A Macintosh port was made in 2011. The game was developed in GameMaker.

In the game, a small white character is separated from his girlfriend because of a meteor impact and must find his way back. The game focuses on the exploration of the game world and admiring attractive graphical backgrounds, listening to enjoyable music, and solving simple puzzles. The game was an early successful indie title.

Personal

Own?No. This game was never sold.
Won?Yes. 100% completion.
Finished2003-09-02.

I was following the web site of the game's creator before he published the game because of his interesting articles surrounding video game music, and media. When he did publish, I started playing the game and was really impressed by it. The older style made me feel nostalgic, and the attractive graphics and music made me feel comforted.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
6 6 7 7 5

Best Version: Windows

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • I like the non-linearity of the game. From the start, most of the game map is open to the player and you can go where ever you want to go.
  • I like how each section has its own feel accomplished with different graphics, music, inhabitants, and environment effects.
  • I love the simplistic art style.
  • Despite being built with 8-bit games in mind, the design is not limited to it. For much of the game I was saying to myself, "that's kinda cool." And found it to be inspiring.
  • I like how the music was repurposed from old 8-bit computer games and the chiptune scene.
  • There are a handful of puzzles in the game which are satisfying to complete.
  • There are several interesting hidden aspects, like, if you wait at the title screen for awhile, land on the snail's head, or jump where the big hill is in the lava area.

Bad

  • A large part of the game is entirely inconsequential. Why collect the floating colorful wisps? Because of a lock-and-key mechanic. Why break the pots in the catacombs? Because. Since you are neither rewarded nor punished for much of what you do in the game, it seems pointless.
  • Although there are some interesting puzzles, they're mostly too easy to solve, and too few and far between. 95% of the game is jumping and movement puzzles.
  • It's possible to make it to the cave section where the monsters that grab you from the ground without the gold artifact which reveals their position. This is very frustrating because the player may they have to memorize the location of every monster. Something like a signpost suggesting the artifact would have helped alleviate this problem.
  • Although a forced 640x480 resolution wasn't too annoying in 2003, it's awful now.

Ugly

  • The room with the purple hippo-like monsters where you have to climb the chain as they knock you off is maddening, and the next room, with the series of long jumps isn't much better.

Media

Screenshots

Design Documents

Videos

Longplay - Windows.

Representation

Strong female character?FailThe only woman is a damsel in distress.
Bechdel test?FailThere is no dialogue.
Strong person of color character?FailThere is no clear race, although everyone is drawn using the color white.
Queer character?FailThere are no queer characters.

Download

Seiklus was updated several times. This download only contains the latest version.

Links

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