REVIEW : Triple Take (PC)
I’m going to write the review after just one more run. For most of today, I have been saying this. Triple Take, a 2D precise platformer from FlyAway Games, has me completely enthralled. The draw of Triple Take is that you play each stage three times. You must leap and climb your way to the finishing flag at the beginning of each level. The difficulty increases as you play the stage more often. This, in my opinion, was a fantastic method to help the player get through some of the more difficult levels. You’ll move through this planet stage by stage while attempting to release a prisoner who wants to topple the apparatus that has imprisoned him there. Additionally, each area has a boss battle that cleverly combines thematic mechanics with the aspect of “the programme” that you are against.
You’ll encounter side characters who add colour to the landscape and assist provide context for the current stage of the game in each “world,” which will lead to a new set of stages. The writing is strong and never lingers too long. Soon after starting the game, you’ll run into the “ghost in the machine” character, who needs your assistance to escape from the game’s programming.
These scenes frequently involve reality-bending and 4th wall-breaking, which I found to be quite inventive and original. Your game window may move around the screen, or you may need to look through the system’s folder for a file to attempt and reposition it. It always made me smile and didn’t take my attention away from the main goal of wanting to see how many levels I could complete.
The artwork is in the style of old-school NES games with a piece of appropriate music. It’s endearing and concise. When a video game breaks the fourth wall and addresses the player, the art style feels extremely mechanical. It had a terrific effect, and I particularly enjoyed being returned to a false error box informing me that the “other” had discovered me and that we were in danger. Creepily and enjoyably, it explores the psychological horror angle.
I needed some time to fully comprehend the mechanics. Although I’ve been conditioned to having far more forgiving controls in platformers, I believe Triple Take has a purpose. I was travelling quite slowly via wall jumps for the first few hours of gameplay, which was not what the game designers had in mind. I didn’t understand how much more accurate my wall leaps were until I noticed I wasn’t holding the button down for long enough. If the controls had offered a little bit more latitude, this might not have happened. The jump pads also require exact timing. When I was able to wrestle with what the game wanted me to do, I felt that this wasn’t a negative thing and was entirely fair. The key in games like this is that I never felt like any of my fatalities weren’t earned.
You should return and get the collectables from each stage. Death has no real consequences, which gives the impression that you aren’t losing any ground. I did see a small hiccup when synchronising cloud save data with my Steam Deck, but I anticipate that will be fixed. Additionally, the game has not yet had its deck validated. With the exception of one of the difficulties, finding a file within the documents folder, it is often played on the deck. I had to complete the instructions on my tower rather than the Deck because they are for a Windows-based computer. I think I used my desktop 50% of the time and the Steam Deck 50%.
There were no hiccups for me and the game plays flawlessly. This is what I would anticipate from a game with this simplistic gameplay and simple aesthetics. The only major complaint I have is that the wall-jumping feature might use more of a tutorial or an alternate control scheme that felt a little more conventional compared to other platformers of a similar type. Triple Take is exceptional, to put it briefly. This difficult and inventive game has been a delight for me, stretching both my memorization skills and tenacity by daring me to try it yet another time. It’s quite addictive to try, fail, and try again. It’s difficult to put down when the gameplay is combined with the meta-narrative of a “ghost in the machine” that you are helping to escape. The art and stages are straightforward, but once you get the idea of running and jumping, it feels wonderful. It could take some practice to get your leaping legs under you, but the game’s worth the $5.59 asking price that it has right now on Steam.
