Sideway: New York

From a distance, Sideway: New York seems nothing more than a typical 2D platformer akin to games like Super Mario. While that description is more or less true, developer Playbrains (in conjunction with Fuel Industries and W!ldbrain) has added a definite layer of craziness to the gameplay. Armed with a stylish look and a flavorful hip-hop soundtrack, Sideway blends both 2D and 3D platforming in a unique and interesting way while staying true to the core mechanics that make this particular genre great.

Sideway’s objective is straightforward. You play as an aspiring graffiti artist named Nox, whose girlfriend, Cass, gets kidnapped by an evil artist named Spray. Nox then gets sucked into Spray’s weird two-dimensional world, where graffiti paintings come to life. In order to get Cass back, Nox will have to fight his way through Spray’s minions and take on the head honcho himself. Luckily for him, Nox has retained the ability to interact with 3D objects, which will prove useful in his adventure. Sideway’s gameplay mechanics will have you traverse from air vents to windowsills and fight off graffiti enemies to progress through each level. Be careful though; you’ll have to carefully avoid water and spikes, as those can kill you in one hit. Ultimately, it’s not that big of a deal when you die in a specific spot, as the game is generous with its checkpoints.

For the most part, Sideway controls well, though its floaty nature sometimes makes it hard to time jumps. It’s particularly annoying when trying to reach a moving platform, only to fall to deadly traps because either the jump was a little bit too high or the timing is late. I think it would’ve been better if there was some precision in the jumping; something like pressing the X button longer that results in a higher jump. This would actually relieve some frustration when trying to deal with enemies.

That said, enemies aren’t particularly difficult to deal with. Every enemy type has their own unique strategies that require you to implement different strategies against each one. Some only require you to use punch or stomp on their head to take them out, while others will have you utilizing Nox’s other abilities to defeat, such as the dash kick for stunning or paint grenades for long ranged attacks. Like Super Mario, it adds some variety to the combat instead of just button mashing your way through a level, and this especially applies to the game’s demanding (and occasionally frustrating) boss fights.

Nox unlocks additional abilities later on that will help him move around better in his new environment; this is when the game is at its best. Sideway puts a lot of emphasis on fast-paced gameplay, and it gets really enjoyable when you’re jumping, gliding, swinging from platform to platform and fighting off enemies in record time without breaking the rhythm. Aside from that, the game offers plenty of collectibles such as Secret Tags and maximum health/paint upgrades for you to grab, and it gives you the incentive to be a completionist by allowing you to replay every level you’ve finished. Replaying levels also gives you the chance to increase your campaign score, which applies to online leaderboards so you can show off your score to the rest of the world.

Sideway’s levels become trickier as you progress, and the changes in perspective makes things even more complicated. Sideway is mostly a 2D side-scrolling platformer, though you can manipulate the environment to flip the dimensions a bit. Nox moves much like a moving painting on a wall, and the camera constantly changes angles whenever you move to another surface area of a building you’re currently on. This also adds a puzzle element to the game, and it’s a fun experience when you find hidden items and alternate pathways you normally couldn’t reach in a different perspective.

As crazy and fresh as the perspective element sounds, I think Playbrains could’ve done something more with it. Optional side/challenge levels would’ve helped make the topsy-turvy stuff stand out more, and I also feel Sideway is lacking in its two player drop in/drop out co-op. Since Sideway changes in perspective throughout the game, it’s easy to lose track of each other. When one player is ahead in the level, the game follows that particular player and leaves the other behind. However, the player eventually does get warped ahead to where the first player is. Still, playing co-op is pretty much dull because it doesn't essentially feel like co-op. Instead of your buddy playing a significant role in the adventure, the 2^nd player just feels like they’re only along for the ride. They can just hang back and let the other do all the work and it won't affect anything in the end. To put it simply, you can get through Sideway by yourself just fine, as co-op just feels needless to the overall experience.

Still, Sideway has an appealing stylish, street aesthetic that's clearly one of its best traits. There are some nice visual effects when Nox jumps or the skid marks that appear when he stops, and the enemy movements are appropriately cartoonish and fluid in motion. Character sprites and level designs are original and detailed, and each location has their own distinctive feel. Also, as someone who’s not a fan of hip-hop music, I actually found Sideway’s music quite amusing. Though it can get repetitive and old fast, I couldn’t help but bob my head to some of Mr. Sif’s catchy instrumental beats. It definitely would’ve helped if there were more tracks that didn’t repeat in every other level. But overall, it’s nice to listen to Sideway’s soundtrack.

Sideway: New York introduces a fresh and pleasurable twist on traditional side-scrolling titles while managing to still feel familiar to the genre it pertains to. It’s a game that certainly has its flaws, but the experience will surely appeal to those who enjoy platforming games in general. It’s got enough collectibles and challenge that will eat up some of your time, and the $9.99 cost is definitely worth the price of admission. It’s easy to declare Sideway: New York as just another platformer in a long, growing line of other similar titles like Mario or Shank, but it does succeed in at least distinguishing itself from the rest of the crowd.

David Gabriel, NoobFeed.