RUBATO

for what RUBATO, the experimental, 2D physics-based take on the collect-a-thon genre does, it does near perfectly. oh my god like, "the game turns into an unskippable 2 hour visual novel" sounds like a completely justified criticism but, gosh, I was invested enough in the game to go sit back and watch this platformer unfold into this beautiful story with an extremely diverse art direction.

I always thought that great indie gameplay peaks at giving a great take on an older well known game (Undertale with Earthbound, Ultrakill with Doom. Pizza Tower with Wario Land) and it's been a topic that these analogies don't give the games justice.

The levels themselves are easy to navigate and have solid themes, while the soundtrack is downright excellent and easily the star of the show.

All that with great music and fun graphics work together to make what starts out as a fun experience, but evolves into more than a video game.