MISPLACED
» platform: Mega Drive » Developer: retrosouls » Download: Kikstart.me.uk/misplaced-md » price: pay what you want
Anybody who has come to after a busy night of drinking to find themselves somewhere unexpected with a rotten headache and possibly wearing handcuffs will probably be able to empathise with the predicament that Hara finds himself in every day. Each dawn sees him waking up on a mysterious, worryingly angular, island that’s hovering above the clouds in that special way that islands usually don’t. Hara isn’t alone in these dreamlike environments, either. Along with the occasional patrolling enemy there are potentially friendly folks like Hatter or the pirate who offer useful advice for solving puzzles when asked but also throw in the odd, creepy comment to further the story as well.
Each stage has a quota of items to collect and place into a receptacle and, when all have been positioned, a magical key will appear which transports Hara to the next, more difficult day. Our hero does have a special ability to aid in his quest, however, his magic glasses can pause time and record a few steps of movement which are then stored. These
can then be replayed at the press of a button elsewhere on the stage which gives the ability to essentially walk on air between parts of the island. There are limits to this intriguing power, but with a little experimentation it proves a remarkably useful tool.
The uncluttered, minimalist art style of Misplaced is quite unusual to see for a Mega Drive game, and the small but intricately designed sprites for Hara and his various acquaintances are delightful, as is the jolly music which plays in the background. The game, thankfully, doesn’t limit the number of lives – a level can be restarted on a whim by pressing Start – and there’s no time limit to worry about, either, but that doesn’t mean this is an easy game. Even after grasping the intricacies of the movement-recording ability there’s still lots of lateral thinking required to solve the more complicated puzzles, but the entire process of learning and solving each conundrum is enjoyable, as is the feeling of satisfaction after a stage is cleared.