Playing with gravity in platformers isn’t new; Super Mario Galaxy is a textbook example of the concept done well, but Limbo also did a commendable job in the latter stages of its short campaign. Being able to manipulate gravity for an entire game? That’s pretty new (shhh, Gravity Rush and VVVVVV fans), but if we’re to believe the demo for Reggie: The Game If everything is to be believed, we’re in for a surprise when it launches in 2025.
To use its full name, Reggie, His Cousin, Two Scientists and Most Likely the End of the World is a 2D platformer from Dutch developer Degoma in which you navigate levels by reversing the world’s gravity, effectively letting you zoom to the ceiling and back again, or even zigzag in the air, hitting enemies on the head (or the backside) as you go. It’s quite similar to VVVVVV in some ways, but the ability to reverse gravity while in the air and use physics to manipulate your momentum sets this game apart quite a bit.
We recently spoke briefly with siblings Gloria and Frank Garcia, the founders of Degoma, and tried out four of the game’s 25 levels via an early PC build. Despite only getting a taste of the full game, we’re pretty excited and optimistic about Reggie, though we do have a few nagging concerns that we hope get nipped in the bud before the full launch in 2025.
The first thing we noticed is the extremely charming presentation. The images are reminiscent of modern cartoons such as Adventure Time, and this is enhanced by the catchy, uplifting soundtrack. We noticed a bit of inconsistency with the quality of the music from one level to the next, although we suspect this may not be representative of the final product. Moreover, we immediately fell in love with Reggie himself; simple in design yet packed with personality, we suspect it will live a long life after this first title.
It is also surprisingly cinematic at times. The environments and backgrounds are largely static for the most part, but the second demo level showed a huge, red vortex sucking in rocks and trees while warping the background. It’s trippy yet grand at the same time, and we can’t wait to see what else Degoma has in store for the full game.
As for the gameplay, the gravity feature feels intuitive enough that anyone can get along with it easily, but there’s potential for you to move through the levels at remarkable speeds once you get used to how the physics work. There is no limit to how many times you can reverse gravity, but if you use it to effectively float in the air, your momentum will gradually decrease until you can no longer move forward. It’s great for covering longer distances, but you have to be careful not to lose momentum if there are no platforms above or below you.
It’s surprisingly challenging, especially in the later stages. By default you have three ‘leaves’ which represent the number of times you can take damage before dying. There are a lot of enemies, so you have to be careful where you land, but there’s also plenty of opportunity to fly off the map. What’s great is that there are humorous custom death animations depending on how you die, so we were deliberately moved to see how Reggie would do.
Our biggest concern at this stage is the lack of variety. The levels are visually unique enough, but we worry that without interesting puzzles to solve along the way, the game could end up being little more than a souped-up version of Flappy Bird. The visuals and unique charm did enough to keep us more than entertained during the demo, but we’re hoping there’s a bit more to it in the final game. Thankfully, those who enjoy co-op will be pleased to know that an additional player can join in as Reggie’s cousin, which should spice up the regular gameplay a bit.
And as for the ridiculous game title? Gloria Garcia says that Degoma hopes the game will be successful enough to warrant a sequel. Since the first game’s title essentially tells a story, a potential sequel would build on that with its own unique name. Makes sense to us; let’s hope Reggie, His Cousin, Two Scientists and Likely the End of the World is a success – if only to hear what the next one will be called.
Our thanks to Gloria and Frank, and to Kit and Krysta from Never A Minute for setting this up.
Reggie, His Cousin, Two Scientists and Most Likely the End of the World aims to be released on Switch in 2025. Do you have Reggie on your Switch wishlist? What do you think of the gravity-defying gameplay? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.