Severed - Review

 Severed, but not forgotten.

Console: Nintendo 3DS

After I was done with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy I scoured my library for other smaller, shorter games to play. While I was first thinking along the lines of Ratchet & Clank, I was reminded all the games on my 3DS. I got pleny of smaller Indie titles downloaded on that thing that are perfect to play next to a big title such Octopath Traveller II.

Of those titles, Severed is the one that caught my eye. Developed by Canadian developer Drinkbox games, the team behind Guacamelee, it was a game that I knew very little about other than that its protagonist has only one arm. Losing the (use of) a body part? I can relate to that. At the time, I only bought the game beceause of how dirtcheap it was. Learning what the game was actually all about was half the fun!

What the game turned out to be was one of those engaging and poignant Indie games. A 1st person action-adventure dungeon crawler that, with its touch heavy gameplay and thoughtful narrative, leaves quite the impression. 

Let’s dive in. 

You, Sasha, wake up in the ruins of what can only be described as an 'otherworld'. Looking at the bloody stump that used to be your arm the memories of your family getting attacked rush back to you. Finding a demonic figure standing before you,  he explains that your family has been taken by monsters. With the demon's sword in hand you set out to save your family and return home in this hostile and brutal world.

Severed present its narrative in a rather minimalistic and vague way. There's no opening, dialogue is limited, details are sparse and cutscenes are few and far between. This is a game in which the story isn't as important but the themes and messages behind it are. Sasha never speaks a word but the game never needs that to convey to you what she feels and thus what Severed wants you feel.

Sasha at the beginning of her journey. Image is not from the 3DS version as I couldn't get a good image of that version.  

It's a game that, to be frank, is about loss, grief and acceptance. A title that conveys all of this beautifully through its world and atmosphere. By what Sasha, you, sees, hears and does. In this Severed's narrative is a succes. One that aims to stay with you long after you stop playing and I hope it will. 

With all of that said, the story does require you to pay attention and mull it over for it to land. If you blast through the game, which you can easily do since it´s only about 6 hours, than you won't get much out of the story. If you don't pick up on the themes and such I can see this part of the experience falling flat. 

What did sadly fall flat for me is the music. Where as the world looks nice, combining more popping colours with eerie imagery, I found the music rather plain. The piece that plays over the ending is neat but other than that I found the sound designs, the background noise, footsteps and silences and whatnot, more striking.

For the gameplay, Severed follows another Indie-game stereotype. It's non-traditional, or at the very least, something you don't see a lot anymore. Taking full use of the 3DS touchscreen, the game is played near exclusively with touchcontroles. Only moving and pausing is done through button inputs. 

Played in the 1st person, Severed is all about exploring the world and its dungeons to find new skills and abilities while cutting of monsters limbs to upgrade yourself with. It's very MetroidVania in that aspect, a genre I've come to really enjoy, with touches of a what I believe is a Dungeon Crawler thrown in for good measure.

You attack with your sword by swiping over the enemy at different angles to hit their weakspots, evade blocks and counter attacks. The more consecutive, unblocked attacks you land, the more you built up a meter that slows down time when an enemy is defeated so you can slice of its bodyparts. Filling that meter can be a bit annoying but once it's full, you often times really start laying on the damage and pay those annoying enemies back in kind. Along as you also you invest in the right skills, that is. 

Dividing your attention between multiple enemies becomes the name of the game. 

It made for a fun gameplay loop that, the more I played, the more invested in it I became. The start was a bit slow. The combat was a lot of the same and didn't amount to more than just slice and counter. The dungeons where nice but a bit small and littered with puzzles that aren't all that taxing to solve. 

I needed some time to get into the gameplay loop here. Learn enemy patterns, yes, but also for all the other mechanics to show their faces and improve the gameplay loop. The special magic abilities, such as the stun, bring a new dimension to the combat encounters. The greater number of enemies you face on screen in the late game and their buffs mean you have to juggle more balls in the air, requiring you to be a lot smarter about your approach. This made for some tense fights I had to repeat a couple of times to find the best approach. For example, I had some trouble in a fight with both a time limit and enemies blocking my magical attacks. Once I found out the best order to defeat the enemies in and what tricks to use, it was immensely satisfying.

Exploration became more interesting as well the further I got. I could backtrack to previously visited areas and get toplaces I couldn't reach before. There, I came across more difficult puzles, finding tough battles and usefull items such as extra heart pieces as a reward for my efforts. 

By the end, the gameplay had grown on me to the point that this 'game on the side' became THE game I played hours on end. That was unexpected, but a testiment for how much the game hooked me. 

I do have to remark something about the gameplay that was a bit annoying. First, enemies don't respawn. Once you've defeated them they're gone for good. This made me reset many encounters for a bit since I was afraid I would miss out on resources. Luckily, resources aren't finite. All across the map are pots that have a type of resource that you can transmutate into the stuff you need to actually upgrade you skills and abilities. These do respawn. Because of these pots, by the end, I had more resources than needed. I unlocked every skill and ability and upgraded them to the highest level with plenty, plenty to spare. 

Conclusion

Severed is quite the remarkable title in my library. I discovered what was a touching narrative presented in a minimalistic yet impactful manner, touching on themes of loss, grief, and acceptance. While the story requires attention to fully appreciate, it leaves a lasting impression that resonates long after the game is over. In terms of gameplay, Severed relies heavily on touchscreen controls to scour dungeons and slash up enemies. While the combat mechanics initially felt repetitive, the game gradually revealed its depth. Because of this, Severed managed to truly captivate me. 

This is a standout title in my collection, one that I hope you’ll give a shot. The 3DS Eshop might’ve closed down but the game is also available on Switch, PS Vita and mobile devices. Get it while you can.