Review: InMomentum
By Miodrag Kovačević | November 5, 2011 | Reviews | No comments | Share
Many people, myself included, found it appropriate to compare InMomentum to Mirror’s Edge. It’s a logical comparison after seeing the screenshots, watching the trailers or just reading up on Digital Arrow’s creation. It was only after playing it myself, though, that I realized how wrong such a comparison was (in a good way).
Riding the Wind
The goal is simple. Get the best time, or reach the finish line first. But like some appropriate zen wisdom, it’s not about reaching your goal, it’s about the journey. You’re not a parkour prodigy, as the faulty Mirror’s Edge comparisons might lead you to believe. You’re a Quake Ninja. That’s the closest description I can think of for the uninitiated.
Your abilities are few. You can run, you can slow down time, you can shoot and you can wall and double jump. Whenever you touch a new surface, your double jump ability resets. That means, you jump on surface A, bounce off of it, perform a second jump in the air, touch surface B and then repeat. In theory, this means you can finish a level without touching the ground if you so desire.
In practice, it works differently. There’s plenty of motivation not to go overboard with playing Mr. Vertigo. First off, there are spheres to collect (optional in Time Trial, obligatory in Sphere Hunt mode). Checkpoints are also required as you can’t finish a level if you skip them. The most important thing, though, is that you’re slower in the air than while running.
The gameplay is very fluid and not hard to get into. Sure, the first thirty minutes will have you staring in puzzlement as to how you are expected to overcome a certain hurdle, but after that, double jumps, wall jumps and platforming all become natural. Even if it will take much longer to reach master level, you will soon be able to breeze through the air like a real digital ninja. There’s nothing more satisfying than the moment you reach max speed for the first time, knowing it’s because you avoided all the obstacles successfully.
While I did not manage to find a room full of 8 people, I did participate in 4 player matches. The modes currently available are either Race or Pure Race, the only difference being whether power-ups will be present or not. I did not notice a lack of balance in the power-ups, and while not really interesting or inventive, they do offer a proper edge when used at the right time, rather than suffering from “Blue Shell” syndrome.
The Zen Estates
It was apparent from our interview with Digital Arrow that level design was a crucial aspect of InMomentum. I was hoping they would deliver on their promise, and they thankfully did. Each level has its own flair. While there are some visual overlaps 
between different tracks, the actual layout alters the gameplay significantly. Some require you to master wall jumping, others require you to master opening gates, while certain maps are as straightforward as they can get. It reaches a level that being a master of Ghost Run could mean very little for your performance on Path of Fire. It’s not just the ideas behind the stages, though, but the execution is also of top quality. The platforms, walls and pillars are all very logically placed, while still offering enough freedom for you to find your own way through the levels.
Of course, we haven’t touched upon the visual style yet. The game looked very pretty on screenshots, but it’s one of those games that look much better in motion. I am not exactly running a high-end PC, but I was seriously impressed by the lighting and shadows on the clean, simple surfaces. The minimalistic aesthetics simply work very well with such a fast-paced game, and the unique visual style is sure to stand-out from the game library of this generation. The music is also highly appropriate and only contributes to the mood. The whole presentation is stellar and, in all honesty, I cannot think of anything bad to say about it.
Menus and Gripes
While the actual time spent playing the game is amazing, it falls short in a few aspects outside the actual gameplay. This mostly refers to minor annoyances like the game never remembering your last map or mode played when going into single-player mode, as well as some keybinds being missing from the options menu (like the “fast fall” key). Where it shifts from a minor to a greater annoyance is the way the lobbies and multiplayer games are handled. For some reason, there is a 300 second max limit before the game you are hosting starts, rather than having a “vote to start” button or simply letting the host decide. Races end the moment there is a winner, rather than waiting for most players to reach the finish line. And, probably the most irritating of all, when a multiplayer race ends, you can either restart it or go to the main menu, disbanding your current gaming group.
InMomentum has simple and fun gameplay, used to the fullest thanks to some excellent level design
The HUD and interface also have a few issues. The game does not keep track of your position in a multiplayer race, which is beyond silly. Some maps, like Flame Tongue, are also quite difficult in Sphere Hunt mode, as there is no indication where the nearest sphere is. This can get quite bothersome when you reach the final checkpoint, only to realize you missed one or two spheres you simply did not see.
Yay or Nay?
While the menu and lobby system are highly irritating, the devs promised future patches would fix these issues. To be honest, it’s rather re-assuring that my main gripes have very little impact on the actual game. InMomentum has simple and fun gameplay, used to the fullest thanks to some excellent level design. The presentation is stellar and relaxing. With promise of free DLC, the first being a level editor, I can recommend InMomentum to anyone who wants to be a bunny-hopping sci-fi ninja. You can find it on Steam.
Score: 8/10 | Read our Scoring Policy |
