Celestial Sisters Hands-On Game Preview

Late last year, I had chance to preview a new co-op puzzle game coming soon: Zorya: The Celestial Sisters. Anyone who’s played with me knows co-op puzzles with me in command is a recipe for frustration and anger, which is why I’m happy to announce that I’m going to piss them off. to death with this captivating puzzle game. The recent puzzle game has definitely leveled up, what with It takes two make waves and other smaller titles like Tandem: A Tale of Two Shadows prominently increased. But too much of the same thing becomes stale. I’m happy to say that Zorya: The Celestial Sisters looks like a new change of pace based on this preview. With this hands-on gameplay I’ve had the opportunity to participate, I’m happy to share my optimism with the story of these two sisters.

The two sisters are celestial goddesses Aysu and Solveig. Aysu is the goddess of darkness who finds herself in need of being brought home with Solveig, the goddess of the sky. The two work together to reunite each other in an arid world filled with terrifying sunlight and religious dissent. Relatively distaste for sunlight Aysu has – if she dares to step into the light, she will transform like a vampire and you will have to start all over again.

You and a friend control one of the sisters, each with their own point of view. The player controls Aysu on the ground in a third-person perspective, going puzzle after puzzle. Meanwhile, the player controlling Solveig is in the sky as she guides her goddess with her light powers. The game’s gimmick lies in different viewing angles, as the two players are almost playing completely different games. One is below, ready for action, while the other is high above, burning enemies and moving from the air.

Solveig had to adjust to the darkness, creating paths in the dark that Aysu could walk on without being blocked by the sun. Meanwhile, as Aysu walks the paths Solveig creates, she has to push switches and push enemies away from her. There are times when Solveig can launch a beam of light to the ground, which can stun enemies or trigger switches or turrets. Cooperation between two people is essential to solve the level, but with two minds it is not an impossible task.

Two different points of view

I’ve had a chance to experiment with both viewing angles over the course of six levels or so, and the two certainly provide completely different gameplay experiences. When I played Solveig in the sky, I found myself taking charge of the situation and directing Aysu to play otherwise most of the time. Since Solveig has a top-down view and can essentially see the entire map, it’s not uncommon for Solveig to have to do most of the planning. This is actually somewhat unsettling, as I’m wondering if Aysu has the strength to do it. Naturally, Solveig has all the information, so the heavy lifting is really up to the player controlling Solveig, right?

However, when controlling Aysu, I did not find myself lacking in things to do. Actions in this game are limited, mostly having to do with pushing enemies away from you or pushing towers down a track. The developer guarantees a new mechanic every five levels or so, showing the intention to keep the game feeling fresh, so I’m sure Aysu will have more work to do as the levels go. evolution. But I am more than satisfied with the possible cooperation between me and the partner. The two views don’t hurt the level of engagement at all, which is the most important balance to strike in a co-op puzzle game. It wouldn’t be really fun if only one player did all the work. (But for those who really want to swap perspectives, the game makes it easy to switch characters and pick up where you left off.)

However, some concepts feel a bit half-baked at the levels I’ve gone through. There are enemies placed in some levels that can go to Aysu and push her into the light. They may be placed more strategically in the future, but I just really see them as an unnecessary hindrance. They are not too difficult to react in the first place. We’ll see if this feature is added more throughout the game. On the other hand, I appreciate how difficult it is to deceive some levels. Paying close attention to the different paths the shadows create is the most mentally rewarding part of the game, but it does allow you to cooperate nicely.

Work together

The levels seem to be carefully designed to prevent any kind of cheese. Finding out if Aysu is in the dark is pretty sensitive, and I remember my partner sometimes marveling at how strict some roads are. There are also several collections in each level, which can be found on the way to the exit or through alternate paths. We only found one pair, but this will add some interesting replayability to the pairs. To fully complete each level you will need to play as both Aysu and Solveig. (Which is fine and good, as the two play points are quite different.) From what I can tell, it’s easy to find a pair, as you can easily match a player through the system. matchmaking of the game.

But the most important part of any co-op puzzle for me is: how can I annoy my partner? There are certainly opportunities to make it difficult for both sides, such as Aysu not passing through a thin ball, or Solveig moving the shadow chaotically and burning Aysu in sight. Honestly: some of the best parts of co-op puzzle games are when you and your friend hug, screaming about why I’m doing this or why you’re doing it. Swearing at your friends is really the best way to go, isn’t it? I’m excited to see future possibilities and I’m glad I got involved Zorya: The Celestial Sisters‘game preview.