Developer Summary

Armed with nothing but a magical umbrella, guide Joey through the strange reflective landscapes of unknown origin… Play as a cute, cuddly koala and become a master of reflection by overcoming increasingly difficult challenges!

What We Think

Reflexio is best described as an interesting expansion on the platformer concept coated in a very cute aesthetic. You control a blue koala with a magical umbrella and your goal is to collect zips and then proceed to the exit- a odd creature whose mouth opens when all zips are collected. This may sound like a fairly classic platformer formula but Box Jellyfish have shaken things up with an interesting idea.

The aforementioned magical umbrella gives you the ability to flip the contents of the level across one of several available axis. You can flip the level vertically, horizontally or diagonally depending on where the preset lines of axis are placed. Switching between these options and flipping the level to access remote areas is key to progressing through the game. It’s a great idea and it makes for some reasonably unique gameplay.

As the game opens the challenge is extremely limited; the first few levels simply introduce you to the concept of flipping your environment and keeping tabs on how this will change your surroundings. After a few levels the difficulty begins to ramp up at a fast rate and some of the later puzzles are quite fiddly. Unfortunately the difficulty curve doesn’t remain steady and there are many unexpected shifts in the complexity of puzzles, from sudden difficulty spikes to some surprisingly simple challenges at later levels.

Despite this issue the gameplay is generally interesting and, for the most part, entertaining. There are, however, a couple of niggling problems with the way in which Reflexio executes its unique take on platforming. You can be crushed if you’re occupying a space taken by a block when you flip the level and this means that you have to be very exacting when you use this ability. Even a small error means restarting the level and sadly Reflexio doesn’t have the pace of Super Meat Boy to keep it engaging after multiple restarts (there’s even an achievement for sticking through ten restarts so the developers must presumably be aware of the frustration the game can cause). In later levels it almost becomes necessary to count the number of blocks to ensure that when you flip the stage you won’t be standing in an occupied space; this can be a tad tedious.

The graphics of Reflexio are sweet and simple; the game uses an assortment of soft pastel colours coupled with the cute koala and his umbrella. The music follows up on this aesthetic with a few light hearted tracks that are neither too repetitive nor particularly memorable. Altogether the style of Reflexio is relaxing and subtle, not getting in the way of the gameplay.

With seven worlds each featuring eight levels Reflexio has enough content for over two hours, maybe a couple more if you want to be thorough. The addition of hidden collectables or a score system may have gone some way to extending the lifespan of the game.

Ultimately Reflexio is fun, if a tad frustrating here and there, and it makes use of an intriguing twist on the platformer genre. Sadly it’s hard to recommend it over some of the alternatives in the same genre but if you’re looking for something cute, a bit different and with a reasonable challenge then it may be worth giving Reflexio a look.

Get Reflexio at IndieCity

Reflexio – Official Site

[xrr rating=”3/5″]