smschrag ,

Thematically, Severed is a classic dungeon-crawling quest: you begin amid the ruins of your home except in a strange otherworld, your arm's been cut off and your family kidnapped by monsters, then a demon gives you a sword and you set off to find your family. It's a bit like Zelda for people who thought the visual designs of that series weren't unsettling *enough*, and also wished it had taken a more viscerally literal interpretation of the term "Heart Piece."



Aesthetically, the game is striking, with Aztec-inspired designs rendered in bold strokes of color, and some poignant musical motifs (and judicious use of silence) that make for effective emotional interludes. Mechanically, this is a game meant for mobile (even if it was originally released for PS Vita). Swipe-based combat may sound simplistic, but it's really more about timing and managing the countdowns of multiple enemies' attacks -- you mostly gain upgrades through severing the body parts of your foes, but you can only do so after you build up enough focus, so it's often a matter of keeping enemies alive for that final stroke as much as it is about killing them. My one complaint is that the combat can get a bit repetitive toward the end (some more variations in attack patterns would have been welcome), but it stays a challenge throughout.



I'm pretty thoroughly impressed by this game. Well worth the money.