‘Wake’ Review – A Swiftly Sinking Ship
Courtesy of the devious duo at Boss Baddie that brought us Lunnye Devitsy and Really Big Sky, this week I dove into the high-tension platformer that is Wake. A subaquatic adventure like no other, it’s a race against time and rising waters through a labyrinthine ship with a severe sinking problem and a deadly corrupt security system.
The story is simple: you’re on a sinking ship, and you need to get out now. Extra details, including what caused this unfortunate situation in the first place, are revealed via a radio transmitter (provided you’re lucky enough to discover it while making your escape), but it’s difficult to focus on reading backstory when you’re fleeing for your life. Unlike most platformers, progress in Wake is ideally made in the vertical, rather than the horizontal, axis as you run, jump, climb, and even swim from one room to the other in the hopes of reaching the surface before you drown. Along the way, you must also be sure to avoid lasers, guns, fires, and electricity, all while collecting vital tools like keys, flashlights, flares, axes, and more.
Of course, both exploration and escape would be a little easier if the keyboard configuration was a little less broken. An irritating flaw in an otherwise enjoyable and well-crafted experience, the PC controls are unusual and difficult to get used to. I believe the configuration can be altered, but I can’t personally test this yet since, for some reason, whenever I try to access the configuration options, the game restarts.
However, as expected of Boss Baddie, the look and feel of Wake is utterly unique and utterly wonderful – in a dark, dangerous way, that is. Hazy, pixelated graphics and dim, unreliable lighting turn the cold steel geometry of the ship into something grim and threatening, reminding you with every brief, heart-stopping power failure that it might soon become your watery grave. The unnerving tilting of the ship as it sinks just adds to the gravity of the situation.
The soundtrack is a perfect fit, in that it is perfectly chilling. A fast-paced chase theme accompanies your race to the surface, ratcheting up the pressure with each pulsing beat. But the composer’s ingenuity shines brightest in the dark – when the lights go out, the music winds down to a low, ominous hum, like the slow whir of dying machinery. It is in these small, quiet moments that your isolation is most acutely felt. No one is coming to save you, and if you die here, you die alone.
The funny thing about the gameplay in Wake is that progress isn’t as linear as it sounds. Yes, in general you want to be going upward, but – as you’ll see when you look at the map – the layout of the ship makes heading straight up impossible. Instead, you must navigate not only up but back and forth as well through a maze of rooms, making split-second decisions between right or left, this door or that ventilation shaft.This isn’t strictly a beat-the-clock sort of mission, either. While the water level is steadily rising, the game purposely gives you just enough time to look around (quickly) before advancing to the next area.
Aside from collecting stuff, exploration is rewarded in the form of points and achievements. While points are mostly based on how fast and how far ahead of the water you escape, making discoveries and item collection may add extra points, and some achievements (such as collecting all the keys) can only be attained by searching every nook and cranny on your way out. The option of submitting scores to an online leaderboard adds a competitive element to the game, giving players yet another reason to come back for more.
Though there doesn’t appear to be a free demo, the high-quality gameplay and design and the intense atmosphere of Wake are more than likely to make it worthy of the $3.99 price tag. Available on both Steam and Desura, Wake is also currently available as part of Boss Baddie’s Lunar Pack, which includes Lunnye Devitsy as well.
