Every article tag can be clicked to get a list of all articles in that category. Every article tag also has an RSS feed! You can customize an RSS feed too!
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

Few games make me repeatedly go back and try to improve my times, with Remnants of Naezith [Steam, Official Site] being one such game that has completely hooked my attention. The game released yesterday with same-day Linux support from developer Tolga Ay. 

Disclosure: Key provided by the developer.

YouTube Thumbnail
YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show   Direct Link

Sometimes, there really is absolute beauty in simplicity. There's not a lot of game mechanics here, you hook and swing, you boost and you jump. However, it's the way it's presented that makes it absolutely addictive. You're basically left to fend for yourself as soon as the game starts, with only a single goal: get to the end, as quickly as inhumanly possible.

What the developer has done with these few simple mechanics is fantastic. You will be using a mixture of hooking and boosting while pulling yourself up, to propel you at speed to get higher, you will also be using your boost paired with a few well times jumps to surf along water as well. Part of the difficulty, at least for me, is remembering the button to press at a moments notice. There's been so many times I've hooked and jumped to pull myself up, instead of a hook and boost to powered upwards.

What's fantastic, is that you instantly get a high score table as soon as you beat a level. With this, you can race against a ghost and also view a replay of how someone else did it, including highlighting the exact buttons they're pressing which was pretty slick. The skill some people already have in the game is maddening, but it's so damn fun and extremely fulfilling when you manage to get even a second faster than a previous run.

Some of it can end up a little frustrating, like when you're just not making that one hook and falling to your death. It certainly gets challenging that's for sure and I can imagine this being an absolute must-own for people who like speed-running. A lot of your first runs will be to learn the layout of the level and find the best places to hook into and boost your way through. Once you get the basics down you can continue to improve your times.

Here's a look at a few quick moments I was particularly proud of myself (after failing so many times I lost count):

YouTube Thumbnail
YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show   Direct Link

In terms of level design, performance and actual gameplay, the developer has pretty much tuned it to perfection. The level design is devilish in the details as fair amounts of it requires some serious concentration. A second too late can result in a fatal blow to your time, with how the levels require you to so quickly switch between hooking, jumping and boosting.

There's only one real gripe I have with the game, which is the tips that come up. They are helpful, if you actually get a chance to read them as they vanish as quickly as they appear on the screen.

You can find Remnants of Naezith on Steam. Well worth a look, but wow my hand aches like mad after it. It also works perfectly with the Steam Controller.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
7 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
5 comments

rea987 Feb 6, 2018
Interestingly enough, the game was built on SFML instead of SDL. Gameplay is smooth and responsive while being hard to master. Being able to watch live replays of other players is quite nice but I suspect that feature uses Steam API which might be a bad news for DRM-Free advocates. Overall, it's a solid speedrunner platformer that I can't wait to see it being played on public events like GDQ and ESA.
karmik Feb 6, 2018
Looks interesting. Have you played it with a Steam Controller?
Liam Dawe Feb 6, 2018
Quoting: karmikLooks interesting. Have you played it with a Steam Controller?
Yup, works perfectly.
nullzero Feb 6, 2018
Interesting when I saw the trailer a few days ago, I dind't regard it as much. Not very interested in the average speedrun, but playing against my own ghost that yes... it really motivate me in those games. Ever since micro machines 2 in DOS ^_^

I'm too bad against a leader-board, but against my old self oh yeah it is possible to beat me if I just... try *one* more time.
Leopard Feb 8, 2018
I bought it but it's hard AF.

I didn't get how people achieved these times. On first level , my best time is 8 seconds. Some guys did it at 4 seconds...

Talent or dedication to this genre.
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.