Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind + [Xbox]
Yonder’s Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind + is a game that has truly stumped me. Designed as a co-op game first and foremost, you and a friend will take control of Him + Her, the two protagonists of the game, conjoined by a Red Rope. Using the rope to defeat enemies does take a bit of getting used to, but is much easier to do so when you only have to focus on one character (leaving the other up to a friend). As a game designed for two players, naturally it feels better when playing this way. It also has the added bonus of two brains trying to figure out any puzzles, rather than going it alone. You’ll need a lot of communication, particularly when trying to deal with any monsters you come across, as death is quick and often hits you when you least expect it. A single touch from any of the monsters you come across will kill you, as will severing the rope that binds you. Playing alone cranks up the difficulty, as not only do you now have to figure out puzzles on your own, but you’ll have full control of both characters - and remembering which one is controlled by which thumb, especially when a monster is charging right at you, is a fair bit more difficult than you’d expect.
You start with 100 Lives, which sounds like plenty, but it really isn’t. You gain shadows upon killing shadow-people, other humans and monsters, and these can be traded in the various courtyards for additional lives or save points. Walking through the courtyards themselves to reach each of the relevant entrances to different areas of the labyrinth is actually quite maze like in itself. You’ll recognise similarly laid out rooms, from different angles designed to confuse. It’s hard to describe, but there’s a certain sense of claustrophobia in being trapped in a maze you’re struggling to make sense of - even if it’s decently large and well, virtual. Even without enemies in these areas (aside from the guards if you piss them off by killing someone), it can be easy to feel a little overwhelmed by the confusion and frustration of being unable to progress.
Visually done in a very minimalistic style, with a strange creepiness to it, the world beyond the courtyards consists of a large labyrinth split into twelve different Houses, each filled with ghosts, minotaurs and more. These Houses are filled with danger, with each room having different puzzles to solve, enemies to defeat and shadow-people waiting to be killed. You can’t progress to the next area without having dealt with whatever problem faces you in the current room - and this will often lead to a tonne of deaths. You might find a button that raises and lowers platforms, and you can stretch out to use this to lead one half of your duo to a higher area, in order to access other buttons, or to deal with things such as breaking gravestones. It doesn’t explain things very much, leaving everything up to you to figure out; you might read signs to find information, but usually it is presented as a riddle, or as something contradictory to another sign. The soundtrack of Red Rope is undeniably interesting, with a variety of tunes ranging from melancholic to downright creepy.
Have you ever played a game that made you feel so utterly incompetent, because you just could not figure out what to do? And yet find that it is so oddly alluring that it draws you back, time and time again. I struggled with Red Rope. A lot. In fact, I’m saying that like I’ve overcome the challenges that it offers, but I haven’t - I’m still struggling with it. I know that it’s still got so much to give, but I just can’t figure it out enough to get there. I’ve never even seen some of the Houses, and I’ve never managed to get as far as a Boss, which feels like such a cop out - but what are you supposed to do if you literally cannot get any further!?
This is a game I have picked up, put down, picked up again and so on, for months now – each time somehow expecting to be able to do it this time. What’s that quote again? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well that just perfectly describes my experience with Red Rope. Now, don’t get me wrong – the parts that I have managed to get through have been enjoyable, but holy hell does it fry my brain trying to figure out what to do. And based on the fact that the plaque in the courtyard shows that not even five players that have made it right through, I’m not the only one.
Available for £11.99 on the Xbox Store, this is a game that will definitely give you hours of content, as long as you keep pushing yourself. It’s really hard to decide where I stand with Red Rope, as it provides a good challenge and the idea behind it is really innovative, but the sheer frustration of going nowhere fast makes it a really hard sell unless you’re looking for something that will really test you.
In the end, we decided to give Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind + the Collecting Asylum rating of 6.5/10.
Have you played Red Rope yet? What did you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!
- V x
Thank you to Yonder for the Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind + Xbox review code!
