Onde PC Review

It's hard to put the atmospheric journey of Onde into words. The colorful trip constantly overflows with beauty and soothing music. The sheer magnificence of the visual design shares similar quality to games like Journey and Gris. Complementing the abstract landscapes is a basic platformer that uses its fundamental concept of moving using spheres but adds new layers to it as you progress to prevent things from getting stale. Onde is a relaxing psychedelic trip that will leave you overwhelmed with joy.
 

 

Onde's narrative is kept vague but centers on promoting life. Themes including oceans, space, stars are constantly being presented as you progress. With new life being birth from calamity and destruction shown through conceptual terrains and calming sounds of spheres pushing you forward.

These spheres are the core of Onde's gameplay. Using these orbs your playable sprite is able to navigate the world by clinging to these surfaces. The developers constantly introduce new concepts using these spheres ranging from projecting outward, bringing the sprite towards a certain point, catapulting, pushing, pulling, and so much more. The basic mechanics remain the same but are used in different ways so while you're doing the same the platforming challenges remain fresh.

Using the WASD keys the player triggers certain points to activate these spheres. All while using the mouse to move the sprite and if you fail you're restarted to a checkpoint. The sprite is slow and can be vexing during pressing challenges where speed is necessary. While most checkpoints are decently placed some are in very upsetting places but these are rare and usually in areas linked by multiple areas where having a checkpoint in the middle would destroy the flow of things. Unfortunately, there's no manual restart option if you mess up so you'll have to wait till the death animation is triggered.
 

 

Much of Onde's appeal does come from the visuals, presentation, and tune, each playing off one another to create a surreal experience that often evokes delight and ease. Occasionally the tone will shift to dread but it highlights the cycle of life as things are reborn after destruction. The developers did an outstanding job of ensuring the music and the tones pair well regardless of what you're doing. Everything feels like its part of a cinematic but it's just you playing through the 3-hour adventure. 

Onde is a quick game with little replayability but the short journey does leave an impression. It's a short but meaningful adventure that doesn't overstay its welcome and ends with a somber finale.
 

 

Onde is a visually exceptional title with a beautifully complementary soundtrack. The puzzle platforming is decent with a wide selection of small challenges that build on simple mechanics used in different ways. Onde is brief but meaningful in delivering a soothing journey through a variety of beautiful kaleidoscopic areas.

Review Copy Provided

Adam Siddiqui,
Managing Editor, NoobFeed