ALBEDO Eyes from outer space

Language version: Polish

Age category: from 12 years

Media and quantity: 1 DVD

'Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space' throws us into a space filled with puzzles and secrets without unnecessary pampering. We gather and learn the bits and pieces of the plot assumptions quite slowly. Heck, not much is known about the hero himself. He's just a security guard who probably likes to splash around – that is, he doesn't spill money on his brother-in-law's name day. But there's really no need to worry about the script. The puzzles will keep us playing for a long time.

Solving them is not really a problem. Although you have to get used to the rules of a 3D adventure. Therefore, exploring the environment or collecting items resembles a first-person RPG. The player simply has to be prepared to move and carry various things – sometimes you have to jump somewhere, dive. People accustomed to traditional point & click may suffer for a few moments. The suffering will be even greater because the interface is not very intuitive. What's more, it will often cause gnashing of teeth or pain worthy of a sore butt. Operating the mouse wheel, dragging items from the inventory... In stressful situations (where every second counts) you will throw out bundles of harsh words. However, I will praise the developer for hiding the option to quickly pull out the last used item under the right button on the rodent. Really helpful... A classic logic task has been added to the puzzles realized in the aforementioned three-dimensional space. Of course, it is their responsibility to increase the voltage on our neurons (opening a padlock, playing with strange machinery, turning valves, etc.). Well, I managed. With the right amount of patience, we will crack any combination. Sometimes, to take the next step forward in our adventure, we have to return to an earlier location.

The title in question occasionally forces us to go on the offensive. I mean the fight with strange monsters. You have to know that we are moving around a scientific base. Strange creatures have unexpectedly arrived at its thresholds. And their presence will enrich not only the gameplay. The scenario also benefits from it. After all, new questions arise - with one like "Where did this scum come from?" at the forefront. Direct confrontation can be demanding. It is worth mentioning, however, that playing a shooter does not overshadow what is key. The work of the development duo Z4G0&Ivan Venturi Productions remains an adventure game. And one more thing: somehow this scheming, dealing with the assumptions of (quite well-rendered) physics, and the desire to avoid combat (because the hero's mortality rate is high) reminds me of the beauty of Half-Life. Maybe I wrote that exaggeratedly, but I'm a sentimental man.

Although the developer focuses on a dark – oddball atmosphere, sometimes he winks at us. It is worth mentioning here that creativity, unconventional action can be rewarded with an unexpected trophy (unless you are one of those people who first read the list of trophies and only then act). This desire to experiment can just as well end in the hero's death. That is why it is recommended to goggle your eyes at all interactive places and objects. Catching everything as it flies – I really want to emphasize this – will end with the 'Game Over' message. Fortunately, we can save the game at any time.

'Albedo' has received a lot of positive comments for its graphic style. Dark, gray colors contrast with bright red or green. Maybe I won't go into detail about the level of animation, the number of polygons, or the quality of some textures (the shortcomings are visible). After all, this is an indie segment (and supposedly a one-man project in large parts). Nevertheless, the developer managed to create an interesting atmosphere. It's a kind of science fiction stylized on older film productions. Well, maybe I don't know what to call it exactly, but the final effect simply "bought me".

Supposedly, Early Access is already a thing of the past. Supposedly, we received the final build... But for God's sake! It's been a long time since I've been punched in the face by a developer so often. The slaps are common. Sometimes an item breaks all the rules of physics or changes its form (a rubber hose becomes a long line of f****** across the board - usually techno rhythms); after using an item incorrectly, the game will take us to... limbo; sometimes we will experience a freeze and restart the computer after performing a rather specific action (I will say that I am already a master of removing batteries from the radio; I think the bug did not catch me after the fourth attempt). However, in these cases, the last save saves us. The masterpiece turned out to be an allergy to the DualShock 4 connected to the PC (for the purpose of ordinary charging). The pad was not allowed to work without activating a special controller, although 'Albedo' turned out to be "magnanimous". The game started to immediately support the console device. The image started spinning as if I was nervously turning the left stick and also ordered the character to raise their eyes to the sky. I could perform various actions, but the effect of being sucked into a black hole was still active. And you know what? In this way, I ruined a few hours of playthrough. Because disconnecting the unlucky controller or verifying the integrity of the files via Steam didn't save me. I felt the urge to crack my skull on the desk or say "I don't know, I'm not knowledgeable, I'm busy." in reference to writing a review of the title. However, I finally mobilized myself... How is that possible?! Because you have to know that 'Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space' is addictive despite everything - it arouses the need to discover all sorts of secrets (it also allows you to adjust the difficulty level and fly through previously played fragments faster :>).

Hardware requirements

• Windows 7 / 8.1, Quad core 2.4GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphics card with 1GB VRAM, 1100 MB of disk space

The game is new in foil