Lords of Strife

Lords of Strife is a challenging platforming game focused around unique jumping mechanics.

TL;DR at bottom.

Gameplay:

Lords of Strife is a simple 2D platformer where you must bounce on enemies and other objects in the environment to pass obstacles and progress. The primary mechanic is your ability to jump off of objects and enemies, allowing you to increase the distance you reach to overcome the challenges you are faced with. Some levels are simple or others are much more difficult. The levels progressively increase in difficulty as you play, and it eventually leads to a boss fight that pertains to that level.

New types of enemies and obstacles are introduced as you progress, keeping gameplay fresh and challenging. Some parts of the levels are exponentially more difficult than other parts. For example, I was stuck on a single section for over half an hour. After finally finishing it, it was only a short time before I reached another part of the level that I could not pass. This game is advertised as a hardcore platformer, and that is no understatement.

7/10

Graphics:

Lords of Strife is a beautiful 2D game with a well-designed pixel art style. The levels are stylized to a different theme pertaining to the story, and each is unique and looks good. The level I got stuck on had a pretty glaring color scheme, bright pale yellow in front of a dark red background. It wasn’t too bad to look at but as I refer back to my video as I write this, it is pretty eye-watering, for lack of a better word. Either way, Lords of Strife has consistent stylized pixel graphics that helps the game be more unique.

8/10

Music/Audio:

There is a decent amount of music on the soundtrack, enough to not get annoying at least. There are ambient effects that help with immersion, but it will be hard to hear any of it while you play because of the screaming. There is only one death sound effect in this game, and you will be hearing it A LOT. It gets quite annoying after a while, and eventually I just muted the game while I was playing because it was too annoying. I understand that there can only be a limited amount of sound effects for deaths without it being absurd, but it gets annoying quickly.

6/10

Conclusion:

Lords of Strife is a great platformer to make you rage endlessly. The graphics are beautiful and stylistic, with enjoyable music and ambient sound effects to boot. The major gripe I have with the game is the death sound effect, which gets extremely annoying quickly. It might be best just to mute the game and listen to your own music while you play. Some people enjoy the hardcore nature of these platformers, and I completely understand it. This game requires a particular taste, and if you enjoy being tortured repeatedly, then finding the satisfaction from completing that impossible level, then this is the perfect game for you.

Overall: 7/10 – Recommended

TL;DR

Pros:

+Challenging

+Unique art style

Cons:

-Super difficult

-Annoying death sound

Check out my gameplay of Lords of Strife below to get a better idea of the game.