Up-and-coming indie studio Badass Mongoose has finally launched Helix: Descent N Ascent: an atmospheric puzzle adventure that mixes striking black-and-white visuals and an ever-growing sense of mystery and discovery. Helix looks to challenge players as they climb from the ruins of an ancient civilization toward the light of a new dawn using special powers and the environment around them.
The player is literally dropped into the world of Helix as a strange seedlike creature who must uncover the truth behind their existence and the mysterious doppelganger that impedes them at every turn by exploring an ever-growing labyrinth of puzzles. The story is quite minimalist in presentation, and leaves a lot of its developments open to interpretation.
Key Details
- Developer: Badass Mongoose
- Publisher: Badass Mongoose
- Platform: Nintendo Switch, Steam
- Price: $14.99
- Review Code Provided: Yes, For Steam
A Maze of Mystery
This rings just as true for Helix: Descent N Ascent‘s gameplay, with the game basically leaving it up to you to figure out where to go and how to interact with the mystical, monochrome environment around you. The player navigates with the control stick, interacts with objects by pressing the A Button, uses powers with the face buttons, and dashes for a short burst with the Right Bumper. Puzzles run the gamut of stepping on or dragging objects onto switches, pressing buttons, and pulling levers to open doors and reach areas that were previously inaccessible.
As the game progresses, players unlock new powers like raising blocks (which can be pushed into water to form a makeshift bridge), summoning floating creatures that can be steered toward switches, shooting balls that can be used to teleport objects or capture animals, conjuring a claw that can pull the player across gaps, and even switching between light and dark – which can open pathways that were previously inaccessible and unlock alternate powers for the other skills. You can also combine abilities to gain useful new effects, and there is a great sense of discovery whenever you figure out how to best utilize your powers in a given situation.
There are also collectibles hidden across the world, such as maps that can help navigate a certain section of the world (complete with symbols indicating which power set the player will need for a given section), fragments of medallions, pieces of lost drawings, and cheat codes. You can also uncover arcade cabinets that contain a Donkey Kong-inspired platformer minigame with levels based on the many different powers and combinations you unlock on your journey.
Shadows And Light
One of Helix: Descent N Ascent’s biggest draws is its striking art style, with beautiful hand-drawn environments and a bold black-and-white color scheme. The cutscenes that occasionally play after completing a puzzle room are just as eye-catching, featuring a mix of pencil-like still images and very fluid animations. Even the loading screen captivates thanks to the alluring image of a triangle being drawn with white light against the black void. Likewise, the minimalist music goes for a zen-like vibe, with soft bells and subtle wind noises that give your quest a quiet, almost eerie feel.
Final Score: 8/10
Overall, Helix Descent N Ascent is a captivating title that pulls you in with its mysterious setting and mind-teasing puzzles. There were times when I found myself stuck in a certain chamber for minutes on end, only to discover that the answer was mixing two powers that I completely forgot about. Still, having that epiphany is pretty satisfying, as is uncovering more about the game’s surprisingly large and sprawling world.
**Bonus Action was provided with a Steam Code of Helix: Descent N Ascent for the purpose of this review**
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