Playing with gravity in platforming is nothing new; Super Mario Galaxy is a prime example of the concept done right, but Limbo also did a commendable job during the latter stages of its short campaign. Being able to manipulate gravity throughout the game, though? This is pretty new (shush, Gravity Rush and VVVVVV fans), but if we’re ready with the demo for Reggie: The Game is something to go for, then we’re in for a treat when it finally launches in 2025.
To use his 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 stages by rotating the world’s gravity, allowing you to effectively zip to the ceiling and back. back down, or even zigzag through the air, hitting enemies in the head (or their behinds) as you go. It’s pretty similar to VVVVVV in some respects, but the ability to flip gravity while airborne and use physics to manipulate your momentum sets this apart quite nicely.
We recently sat down to talk briefly with siblings Gloria and Frank Garcia, the founders of Degoma, and try out four of the game’s 25 levels via an early PC build. Despite only getting to sample a small portion of the full game, we came away feeling pretty excited and optimistic about Reggie, though we also have a few minor concerns that we hope will be ironed out early before its full launch in 2025.
The first thing we noticed is its extremely charming presentation. The visuals are reminiscent of modern cartoons like Adventure time, and this is enhanced by the catchy and exciting soundtrack. We noticed a bit of inconsistency in the quality of the music from one level to another, though we suspect this may not be representative of the final product. What’s more, we instantly fell in love with Reggie himself; simple in design but brimming with personality, we suspect it will continue to have a long life after this first title.
It’s also surprisingly cinematic at times. For the most part, the environments and backgrounds are mostly static, but the second demo level featured a large red vortex that absorbs rocks and trees while distorting the background. It’s uncomfortable but grand at the same time, and we can’t wait to see what else Degoma has up her sleeve for the full game.
Gameplay wise, the gravity feature feels intuitive enough that anyone can easily pick up on it, yet there’s potential for you to blast through levels at breakneck speed once you get used to how the physics work. There’s no limit to how often you can reverse gravity, but if you use it to effectively float on air, your momentum will gradually slow down until you can’t go any further. So it’s great for covering larger distances, but you have to be careful not to lose momentum when there are no platforms either above or below you.
It’s surprisingly challenging, especially during the later stages. By default, you have three ‘leaves’ which represent the number of times you can take damage before dying. Enemies are plentiful, so you have to be careful where you land, but there’s also ample opportunity to fly off the map. What’s great though is that there are humorous, bespoke death animations depending on how you die, so we found ourselves getting hit on purpose just to see how Reggie would threaten them.
Our main concern at this stage is the lack of variety. The levels are visually unique enough, but we’re concerned that without interesting puzzles to solve along the way, the game might be little more than a stripped-down version of Flappy Bird. The visuals and unique charm did enough to keep us more than entertained for the duration of the demo, but hopefully there’s a little more to the final game. Thankfully, those who like to play co-op will be pleased that an additional player can join as cousin Reggie, which should add some spice to the regular game.
What about the ridiculous title of the game? Gloria Garcia says Degoma’s hope is that the game will be successful enough to spawn a sequel. As such, since the title of the first game essentially tells a story, a possible sequel would build upon this with its own unique name. It makes sense to us; Here’s hoping Reggie, his cousin, two scientists, and possibly the end of the world succeed — if only to hear what the next one will be called.
Our thanks to Gloria and Frank, and to Kit and Krysta at Never A Minute for setting this up.
Reggie, his cousin, two scientists and most likely the end of the world is set to launch on Switch in 2025. Do you have Reggie on your Switch wishlist? What do you think of the gravity defying game? Leave a comment with your thoughts below.