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Horace
Released On: Oct 21, 2020
82
7.8
All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
82
82% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
14% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
82
82% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
14% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Horace is something very special — the only vaguely negative thing we can say about it is the fact that there are so many spectacularly brilliant indie games on Switch already vying for your attention that we fear Horace may fall somewhat by the wayside. If you have any interest in superb level design, excellent storytelling, terrific art, evocative music, great characters, hilarious situations and emotional gut-punches, Horace is a no-brainer. It's moving without being manipulative, clever without being smug, and nostalgic without being a lazy rehash. So yes, Horace is another indie masterpiece, and every gamer who enjoys quality experiences should play it; a masterpiece that owes so much to its medium, but has the strength, creativity and identity to stand alone as something very, very special. Buy this.
Horace is a 7-year labour of love from a two-man development team, and the amount of quality content here is incredible. Packed to the rafters with nostalgia, it provides laughs, tears, and a brilliant platforming experience that everyone can enjoy.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
7.8
67% Positive
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
24% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
9% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
7.8
67% Positive
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
24% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
9% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
This is a true hidden gem. What a journey, such a beautiful narrative, really heartfelt and beautifully written. The platforming is definitely challenging, and although I am not a very skilled player I kept going, dying THOUSANDS of times and still I couldn't stop. The satisfaction from finishing it was enormous. It deserves more recognition . Thank you Paul Helman
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Nintendo Switch
I'm nearly 50..gaming all my life, all the way from the beginning, where this games inspiration comes from with many many zx spectrum, c64 Easter eggs, winks and nods too. If your an old boy (or girl) like myself, you are going to be absolutely blown away by this absolute masterpiece. Yes the story premise is utterly lifted from bicentennial man, but the likes of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams would be proud of this game as there is enough spin on the story to make the game its own entity. The music, the gameplay mechanics, the smoothness of the game running on switch, the level design, the genius humour and the delivery from the voice acting.. its pure and utter genius. It made me actually laugh out loud at the writrin and tear in my eye for the human moments. If your an old school gamer this is a masterpiece, for all other gamers, it's still a great game but you might not get all the references.
Total bargain even at the full price.
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Nintendo Switch
A genre shifting game packed full of charm and references, Horace is a robotic adventure that must be experienced to be believed.
Horace is a captivating retro adventure full of different gameplay styles and homages to series, movies and other games.
Horace is a brilliant, difficult, sensitive, surprising platform game. An author's work full of cultural references and a beautiful humanist message. The little robot Horace is not more human for wearing a suit, tie and bowler hat, but for his huge and pure heart.
Horace is a piece of art: music, story, ideas and design of the robot are gorgeous, even if the gameplay and controls lack of polish and the entire experience is a bit too long. Be ready to shed tears for Horace. It'll be worth it, especially in this Nintendo Switch version.
Maybe it's the throwback design influences that are slightly too far outside of this reviewer's reach to appreciate and retro fans that remember playing the ZX spectrum will find a lot more to get out in this title. The desire is strong to get on with Horace, it really is, and he might even make you laugh at times, but just like the guy wearing socks and sandals, there are too many things holding it back.
I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I've passed it by a number of times, and glad I finally picked it up during a sale. The game is definitely worth it's full price.
The gameplay is a platformer where the "gimmick" is that the robot can walk along the walls and ceiling. When oriented on a wall, for example, gravity will act toward the wall. At first this is quite disorienting but you get used to it. It makes for some interesting level design, with the designers using the orientation to great effect. It's similar to Super Mario galaxy in terms of gravity shifting, but plays quite differently because gravity tends to act at 90 degree increments.
I found the story very heartwarming. The robot protagonist is almost child-like. The robot will not quite understand the adult things happening around him. The story is very British and I chuckled a number of times at the humour. The "voice acting" is all narrated by the robot with a varying pitch English robot voice. The supporting characters were all quite different and memorable. I really enjoyed the ending, it was a great wrap up to the story.
The game was quite expansive. It is a Metroidvania game (with addition abilities and backtracking), linear in story (divided into chapters).
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Nintendo Switch
A robot named Horace is taken in by a wealthy old man and soon becomes part of the family. When the old man tragically dies of a heart attack, Horace shuts down and sleeps for several years. When he awakes, he finds his home and the rest of the world in ruin due to a war between humans and robots.
At heart Horace is essentially a retro-style 2D platformer with Metroidvania elements. At times it can be frustratingly tricky, and it lasts a few hours too long, but the variety of the gameplay and charming sense of (British) humour means that overall this is a relatively enjoyable experience.
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Nintendo Switch
Horace es un juego centrado en la historia, y en la forma de contar la historia que recuerda mucho a la película del "Hombre bicentenario". Una historia que nace desde la inocencia de un ser nacido sin ningún tipo de corrupción humana y cómo eso va haciendolo tan o más humano que otros. Es una historia mucho más cruenta al final eso sí, sin dejar de ser dulce.
A lo largo de esta historia se nos irás sumando mecánicas, comenzando la historia como un plataformas simplón, y acabando convertido en un metroidvania con una gran mansión a investigar y otros escenarios más pequeños interconectados, haciendo el juego mucho más largo de lo que parece para un indie de este tipo (tenéis más de una docena de horas sin ir a por el 100% del juego). Además, a lo largo del juego también nos irán introduciendo otras mecánicas a modo de minijuegos, muchos de ellos homenajes de la cultura de los videojuegos.
Esta última parte, una gran idea en realidad, pero llevada a cabo con una ejecución pobre, acaba siendo el punto más débil del juego. ¿Por qué? Hay ciertos momentos que para continuar el juego hay que superar obligatoriamente alguno de estos minijuegos, siendo algunos infernalmente difíciles y pudiendo suponer un bloqueo para terminar el juego. No existe ninguna opción para bajar la dificultad de estos y puede provocar que, por ejemplo, si eres bueno en juego de plataformas pero malo en juegos de conducción, te comas los mocos cuando te obliguen a conseguir una determinada puntuación para continuar en el juego normal. Son momentos puntuales, pero acaban siendo un engorro.
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Nintendo Switch
Not a fan of the platforming. Inspired by Mario mechanics but slower and slightly less tight movement. The graphics are okay but nothing that impressive.
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Nintendo Switch
Absurdamente difícil. No se merece las críticas positivas que tiene. No mencionan la dificultad que tiene y que no se puede modificar. El único truco es dejarte matar hasta que te dan 2 escudos, con lo que llevo 1300 muertes para ir siempre con 2 escudos en cada pantalla imposible. Es un juego que no pillaría ni regalado y eso que pagué 1€ y ya me parece un timo. Control con la gravedad un poco deficiente al girar en esquinas. Quiero pasármelo y eliminarlo para siempre. Los que valoran juegos no se qué nivel tienen para no tener los problemas de la gente normal y no me considero un manco no. Lo que influye es que no me divierte perder el tiempo con estos juegos.
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Nintendo Switch
Summary Horace is a story-driven, pixel-platform adventure peppered with nostalgic, popular culture references which will bring a smile to any gamer who enjoys the 8 and 16 bit era.
Rated T
for Teen
Platforms:
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
Initial Release Date: Oct 21, 2020
Developer:
- Paul Helman
Publisher: 505 Games
Genres:
