ERSATZ

Ersatz is yet another 2D retro pixel platformer infesting Steam. Gameplay here involves mashing the right combination of buttons to perform specific platformer moves, because 2D platformer level design is apparently hard, so they had to throw in some obstacles that need specific button combos to get through rather than just designing interesting platformer levels. The key selling point is the soundtrack, which means the developers are admitting the most compelling part of their "game" is something you can hear for free on the radio without giving them any money. Good advice, because the gameplay itself, which is what games must be judged on, is terrible. The graphics: Lazy retro pixel. Hire an artist, seriously, it's not hard to find one, there's probably plenty working in the same coffee shops as the baristas who wrote this trying to escape their mediocre "careers" by making mediocre games instead of mediocre coffees. As one of thousands of 2D pixel platformers on Steam, this isn't even close to being in the middle of the pack, except for the massively inflated price point, where it's far, far higher than most. I should go through my rubbish bin and put $10 price tags on…

I really like this game, the mechanics of the game, and the art style, I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes challenging platformers.

Very hard... but very cool.

There's not really anything *wrong* with this game's design, except the learning curve is pretty much a cliff. Design wise there's a lot here, especially at first glance. So far I haven't seen any repeated bosses and the levels have required unique combinations of inputs to overcome new challenges each time. Unfortunately I won't be playing more because this game is far too difficult for me to want to put significant time investment in. And it would be *significant* time investment to properly master this game. So... cautious recommendation to anyone who loves playing ridiculously hard rhythm games or platformers, but it's not for me.

I really liked the game. Super fun to play on stream and I suck at rythem games + speedruns. You can imagine the amt of times I slammed my hand on the desk. This was also made by one person which makes it even more impressive. For the price, it is well worth it. Dare I say, sell it for 5 instead of 2.

Fun speedrunning game. Like minimalist Celeste, almost, with more dashes. A true hidden gem, more people should play this! Pros: + Allows you to go fast easily + Liberal use of checkpoints allows for minimal setbacks on mistake + It isn't that hard to beat the level, even not that hard to get C-rank and B-rank, you really have to work for those A- and S- ranks though! + Speedrunning tools such as inbuilt splits every screen compared to PB, and a little icon in the corner with a medal ticking down from S to A etc. are helpful Cons: - Boss fights are only ok, especially the ones that are on cycles, feels a little antithetical to a speedrunning-centred game - In some levels, there are some screens that are much harder than the surrounding screens, making difficulty within a given level not super consistent Overall: Highly recommend, especially for the low price tag. Give it a go, particularly for fans of Celeste looking for something to scratch that itch. 8.5/10