Every now and then, a game comes along that redefines how genres work. And 2019 continues to be the age for changes and upsets across all sorts of games.
One in particular that is causing a fair amount of curious eyes to focus on it is upcoming amalgam Woven, a world of adorable woolly creatures. And metal insects.
Woven is an ironically apt name for this game. Borrowing from platformers, point-and-clicks, and action-adventures, it stitches together the three genres in a rather exciting patchwork. While it can’t do the genres as well as standalone games that make it up, Woven does an apt job at weaving an entertaining gaming experience. Able to reach a broad audience thanks to its casual makeup, it still provides a decent challenge due to its intense puzzle, and an in-depth, heartwarming story.
In the world of Woven, stuffed animals used to lead peaceful, happy lives, but one day, things changed, and not for the better. Metal machines are running amok and causing havoc. And our hero, a clumsy elephant by the name of Stuffy, along with his partner, the metal firefly Glitch, have to find out what’s causing the sudden upsurge of metal madness, and how to stop it.
The gameplay in Woven has a unique twist; since you’re basically a doll, you can affix new parts to yourself to better traverse the environment, and find the hidden secrets Glitch points out. Elephant legs have great power, but much heavier than regular legs, while rabbit legs have speed and jumping power, but much lighter as a result. There’s plenty more to utilize, but in order to even use them, you have to find blueprints scattered around the world in order to change Stuffy’s stats and shape, and stand a better chance at saving your world.
Woven isn’t light on story, either. It’s taken the fact that it looks like an interactive storybook to heart, with a fully narrated story told in rhyme. It’s a cute, inventive way of storytelling, and sure to garner as much attention as its carefully crafted (literally) world is.
Woven is set to hit the Nintendo Switch November 15th, 2019.
