Glyph [Switch]
Bolverk Games’ Glyph is an impressive physics-based 3D platformer where you, as Glyph - a small sentient sphere that must work its way through the worlds to restore the ancient Temple City of Aaru piece by piece, by completing each of the 80+ levels set out before you. Encouraged by your trusty NPC scarab-guide Anobi, who keeps you up to date on your skills and how to do things, you’ll work your way through each of the areas, retrieving sacred coins, keys, power gems and ancient Artifacts - all of which must be returned to the Temple City.
The Power Gems you collect are used to unlock areas of Aaru, giving you tonnes of new levels to access after spending your sacred coins. Most play in the same way, called Exploration, with you being tasked to get all the way through, balancing on pillars and broken sections of ruin whilst completing puzzles and defeating enemies - but some levels are Time Trials, and must be completed quickly, which often proves to be tougher than it looks. Touching the sand is hazardous, and will immediately cause Glyph to explode, so getting through each level whilst only touching safe surfaces can be a challenge at times - but thankfully any progression you get within a level, such as collectibles you’ve picked up or pillars you’ve activated, all carry over if you die - you just need to get back to where you were. Certain things don’t remain collected however, including the keys required to complete the level, and secret avatar capsules that you’ll find (but more on those later), so these will need to be retrieved once again.
Done in a clean yet vibrant, simple 3D style, with the sunken ruins peeking out from under the vast sand filled world, it feels ethereal and mysterious - especially when combined with the peaceful, airy score that morphs to fit the levels. Whilst the general location of each level is similar, being that they are all focused around you uncovering the lost Temple City - they are varied in layout and scale, with some being relatively short and others being much larger - there is no one path to take, instead having multiple surfaces for you to travel across and explore for hidden treasures as long as you avoid the sand.
Some levels also take place at different times of day, drastically changing the appearance and tone of the world. The overworld is gorgeous too, as you watch the Temple be rebuilt over time, growing larger and larger as you progress. It’s really fascinating to see it expand as it does, starting from just one small section, and opening up to a much larger, decorative location. The soundtrack to Glyph is mesmerising, and really fills you with wonder of this strange world - and upon completing levels you’ll hear a little tune that is so satisfying to hear.
Controls feel superb, if a little slippy (due to the speed you move at when you hit surfaces) - but this is something you quickly adapt to. And with movement feeling nice and smooth, with a jump to add some height and momentum, traversing from one side of a level to the other feels challenging but rewarding. Energy is regained whenever you land on a surface, allowing you to use that kinetic energy to thrust ahead and jump to new heights. Certain surfaces will allow you to gain extra jumps before landing, and there are also springboard-portal-things that allow you to launch great distances. Everything is given to you in stages, giving you ample time to master each skill before introducing the next - saving you from being overwhelmed by learning it all at once.
You can glide from surface to surface too, with Glyph opening up to reveal a form just like Anobi’s. It’s really well done, and whilst sometimes you’ll come across a frustrating section - usually all it takes to pass is a little bit of thought before diving right in. Should I slam down before I jump to get a little bit more height? Or do I need to get a bit of speed behind me first? Oftentimes it’ll be when you’re trying to reach areas off the beaten track that you’ll run into issues, and that’s simply down to needing a bit more precision and patience than usual. The patterns on Glyph will glow depending on the number of jumps you have available, etc. which is a fantastic added touch, and makes it easy to recognise just where you’re at with that, particularly helpful when you’re quickly going towards the sand and need to jump to course-correct yourself.
As mentioned before there are tonnes of collectible avatars to change the appearance of Glyph, as well as the trail left behind you. Some of our favourites include a skin that changes you into a pumpkin that turns into a little ghost when gliding, or the lightning style trail. The sheer volume of cosmetics available actually took us by surprise, and they change your look so drastically that it’s well worth taking the time to hunt them all down. They aren’t tracked via the stat bar in-level, so it’s up to you to take your time to look around a bit, and take in the scenery, although they are noted in the pause screen (and where you select the level from the overworld). Priced at £17.99 on the Nintendo eShop, it’s well worth the price for the level of enjoyment and amount of content it provides. We’ve both had a great time with Glyph, and can’t wait to see what Bolverk Games does next!
In the end, we decided to give Glyph the Collecting Asylum rating of 9/10.
Have you played Glyph yet? What did you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!
- V x
Thank you to Bolverk Games for the Glyph Nintendo Switch review code!
