1001 Spikes is the latest game from Nicalis and 8bit Fanatics. In 1001 Spikes, your goal is simply to get a key and reach the end of each level that is given to you. The premise might sound easy, but the game is quite hard, and reaching the door of each level will sometimes prove to be harder than it seems!

1001 Spikes – Trailer

In essence, this game is an 8-bits platformer in which we get to play a game that really feels as if it was created 25+ years ago for the NES!

If you know a little about 1001 Spikes, you will certainly be aware that this game is brutally hard! Even its creator went on the Official PS Blog to write a post about how hard his game is.

When you start that game, you’re given a pool of 1001 lives. It might seem like a lot, but you’ll quickly realize that each level consumes a good amount of lives, depending on its difficulty. For instance, I only died a few times in the first levels of the game, but when I reached the half point through it, some levels needed a lot of lives to get through! Just look how crazy it can get in the following screenshot.

What’s awesome about this game, and easily what I preferred about it, is how fair it is to the gamer. Each time you start a level, you have to analyze its layout to learn where the traps are. Then you start walking through it and will quickly be killed by traps that are lying under your feet when you land on a platform. Getting through a level is basically a mix of trial and error where you’re memorizing each path. When you get far enough in a level and know where each trap is, then you’ll easily reach the exit!

Final Thoughts

1001 Spikes is a really cool and hard game, that is reminiscent of the library of the NES console. With its awesome 8-bits art style, 8-bits soundtrack and difficulty, Nicalis managed to make us feel like we’re playing a port of an old game! One of the things I preferred is how fair the game is because each trap is fixed, so the game does not feel like its changing the rules to make sure you can’t reach the exit. On a final note, this game is Cross-Buy, which means you’ll be getting both the Vita and PS4 versions, which is always a nice bonus.

[review pros=”Stellar and fair level design (and hard too…)
Great 8-bit art-style and soundtrack
Cross-Buy with the Vita and PS4″ cons=”$15 price tag might seem high for some
” score=79]

—————————————

Cost: $14.99

PSN Game size: 340MB

You can purchase 1001 Spikes from the PSN.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a copy provided by Nicalis.