You play as “R” a little girl that is in the search of her pet dog “M” which was kidnapped by the evil Fat the Cat. FreezeME is a 3d platform game that is a take on the 90’s style of gaming with a special twist that you’re in game camera can freeze objects in the game.
General Gameplay
The gameplay is a 3D platformer to its core. You play through the game from different zones of the game and you have to obtain cubes and other items to progress throughout the game. You will need to collect a certain amount of cubes to progress to new levels and get closer to getting to Fat the Cat which is the main antagonist. Being a platform game there are different variation of game play from puzzle solving, to some minor boss battles, and other platform related tasks as well.
Audio
The game has a decent audio when it comes to background music, but there is no vocal dialog as it is mostly garbled banter that is said by NPC (Non Playable Characters). For parents there is no type of dialog or audio that would not be suitable for the whole family. The game is not in surround sound but again if you are using a headset to play the game the sound comes out fine. If anything during our playtest some of our younger gamers were humming the music throughout the game which is a good thing.
Visuals
The games visuals are wonderful, with vibrant colors the games levels feel that they come to life. Every zone in the game has its own theme to it and with it the levels feel like a living, breathing game. This is what the charm of FreezeME comes to play. With graphics that are inviting to all gamer, the game is easier to play. In our play test all gaming family members liked the visuals and presentation. For those that have color blind issues, it is safe to say that the game does not have any colors that would stop anyone from playing the game. As the game does not have a colorblind mode, it does not need one. Now the only bad thing is that there is a lot of clipping issues with the camera and viewing the level (more about this in our controls section).
Controls
This is where the game struggles. During our play test some of our family gaming members were having some trouble with the game controls. More noticeably our younger and special needs gamers. As the controls are designed to be used in a 3D type space, some of our gamers had controller issues when trying to navigate throughout the game. Now at first that we thought that this may have been a controller issue or even a defective controller but when we did a retest we did notice that the controller setup needed to get some use to. So for those that are planning to get this game, be aware that there is a learning curve with the controller settings. Also we did notice that with the default settings that some of our younger gamer that tried to play the game were just not able to. Does that mean that this is not meant for younger gamers, no, but we advise some adult or older gamer supervision for younger, and special needs gamers playing FreezeME. Now the control was design around for the player to navigate around the level with the left stick moving the gamer, and the right stick moving the camera, in our play test we did notice some clipping and other camera issues that made it hard for the player to move more freely and even at time, missing a jump or landing because of the camera. As with all 3D platformer this is always been an issue with most game, so parents please be aware of this as this also may cause members of your gaming family some anger and frustration.
Freezing enemies and objects with your camera is fun and satisfying.
Delivery
FreezeME is a fun platform game that has a lots of hours that you can invest into beating the game and lots to do in the game. From races to collecting collectibles and also getting through the bonus stages. The game was made with the presence that it will take us back to our old school roots of 3D platform games. The story and family friendly design very approachable for all members of the family to play the game. Our main concern is the camera and control, however overlooking a simple design flaw, the game can be very entertaining.
Family Friendly
From the beginning of this review we have mentioned the camera and control having issues, and that being said if you fix your controller settings at the very beginning and go by trial and error then you will not have any issues with the game, as far the camera, that is an issue that can be fixed by the developer vis patches (at this time of writing the review there were no patches to fix some of the issues, but we are guessing that they are taking feedback and working on this as we speak J) with the camera, this is almost the issue with all types of platform games, well let’s be honest, with most games that use a 3D space in a 2D setting this will always be an issue with this. Now that this is out of the way, do not let this sway you away from this fun platformer. FreezeME is a fun game, it is a true platformer at heart. The graphics, sounds and even level design are all design around to be enjoyed by the whole family. When we conducted our play test with all of our gaming family members, everyone enjoyed it a lot. Now I can say that as you get deeper into the game that it came become challenging but this is something that is with most platformers as if the game was too easy there would be no challenge. Outside of the controller settings and camera issues there were no issues with the game with our special needs family members or anything that would be of any concern to any parent that allows their child to play this game. As we advised earlier, if you fix the controller setting to your personal liking, this will help you enjoy the game more. Now also again to mention for families with younger children, parents you should monitor your child gameplay behavior to make sure that they are enjoying the game as well.
Closing
FreezeME is a fun platformer that is true to its heart of being a family, fun game. Just fix your controller setting and you will be all set! Now go get your friend back from Fat the Cat….
