What parents need to know
In Biomorph, the player takes on the role of Harlo, a mysterious creature with an equally mysterious past. All we know is that we escaped from a huge building called the heart, that our friend Kleio stayed behind, and that we want to go to his rescue.
To do so, you’ll have to explore a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by monstrous creatures in order to uncover its secrets, learn more about our past, and maybe even help the inhabitants of this desert world along the way.
Biomorph is a metroidvania, which means that we are offered an open and interconnected world. This world opens up to us as we unlock new powers that allow us to explore new areas. For example, we quickly unlock the ability to jump on walls, which allows us to climb higher and have access to new sections located higher up.
In addition to the platforming sequences, you also have to fight enemies, and this is where Biomorph’s most original idea lies. When you kill certain enemies, you have the option to perform a biomorph, i.e. take possession of their body to use their special abilities. Again, these abilities give us access to new areas and are essential for progress. They also allow you to vary the fight, since each enemy is like a new character.
If you kill the same type of enemy enough, you can even add their transformation to your arsenal and use their powers at any time.
There’s also a small city-building mechanic, while the village that serves as our base can be upgraded as we unlock new blueprints that allow for the construction of brand new buildings.
Details
Level of experience required
| Age | 3+ | 7+ | 12+ | 16+ | 18+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginners |  |
|
|
 |
|
| Intermediate | |
|
|
|
|
| Experienced | |
|
|
|
|
Evaluation
There is blood when fighting enemies, and you see their carcasses on the ground once they are defeated. The violence is not too disturbing since the style remains cartoonish, but we do not recommend the game for children under 12 years old, and we strongly recommend parental supervision for those under 16 years old.
None.
It’s almost essential to know how to read to complete Biomorph, since the dialogues are not played by performers, and the characters we meet often give us clues that help us progress.
The game has themes of warning about the overexploitation of resources and the price of revenge, but it remains quite subdued for the majority of the game.
Biomorph isn’t particularly easy. The save system is generous, and you have an opportunity to recover the resources you lost after you die, but it still takes a bit of practice to defeat certain enemies.
The retail price is very reasonable for the lifetime of the game ($25.99 CAD or €19.50). No additional monetization.
Local game modes
A single-player mode in which you complete the story.
Our opinion
Lucid Dreams Studio (the developers of Biomorph) is a very small team of about twenty people who are only on their second game. However, playing Biomorph, you’d think that the small team from Sherbrooke, Quebec, had a lot more experience behind the tie.
It’s obvious from playing Biomorph that the developers were inspired by Hollow Knight, but what’s really amazing is that Biomorph doesn’t suffer so much from the comparison. The title manages to stand out with its enemy possession mechanic (which is also reminiscent of Mario Odyssey), and above all, this mechanic allows you to constantly renew the game experience. As soon as we start to get used to a combat or exploration ability, Biomorph presents us with a monster with brand new powers to keep us constantly in the game.
The levels are also well designed. A Metroidvania lives or dies by its world, and here, it’s successful. The environments are varied enough to be interesting while remaining cohesive, and the different areas are intertwined with each other, giving the impression of discovering a real world and not just a succession of levels.
However, there is one small flaw that must be highlighted; In some places, it may be difficult to distinguish certain elements from the foreground and the background, which can cause some frustration. It’s still a minor flaw, but one that should be highlighted.
Where Biomorph doesn’t stumble, however, is in the music. The soundtrack, by William Gough and Laurence Manning, is noteworthy. There is obviously a lot of piano (Laurence Manning is a classical pianist), but some of the arrangements are ambitious, and you can even imagine listening to the pieces once the playing is finished. Hat.
Visually, Biomorph also succeeds. The style is very reminiscent of Hollow Knight (sometimes a little too much, a little more originality would have helped it stand out in a market saturated with Metroidvanias), but the design of the enemies is memorable. Another small downside, however; The user interface (the menus, in particular) is neither smooth nor particularly pleasing to the eye. A little more care at this level would have helped to further enhance the presentation of a title that already manages to give the impression of having a much larger budget than the one we guess to be its own.
If Biomorph is not the most original title, Metroidvanias fans who are always asking for more will be in for a treat, since the latest of Lucid Dreams defends itself admirably well in the face of a more than fierce competition.
Note: A code has been given to us by the publisher for critical purposes. It doesn’t affect our rating.
