Overview – developed by Holy Cap and published by Red Art Games, Promenade is a platforming adventure set in a vibrant 2D world, where players must go on an adventure to repair the Great Elevator. In this collectathon adventure, explore fantastical environments and interact with the different inhabitants of the world to collect cogs. This title is available on all console platforms with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Red Art Games for providing the copy of Promenade that was used for the piece, via the Keymailer service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting off with the story. Please note that I will only be discussing the core mechanics and features of the game, as I don’t want to spoil the gameplay experience for players.
Story – experience the adventure of Nemo, a kid who finds himself dropped into a world that is as mysterious as it is colorful. Luckily for him, he won’t have to make his way through this magical place alone. When things look like they couldn’t get any worse for him, a cute, and very skilled, octopus swoops in to save the day. Joined by his new cephalopod sidekick, Nemo is tasked with the mission to repair the Great Elevator whose cogs have been scattered all around the world by a scary character.
Gameplay – Promenade is a 2D adventure platformer with an open world style of play, similar to that of Banjo Kazooie and Super Mario 64. As Nemo, the player must traverse the different worlds connected by the Great Elevator, completing missions and solving puzzles throughout the environments. However, the elevator has been sabotaged by a mysterious being and the cogs that operate it have been scattered, so Nemo must collect the parts to make the elevator whole again.
To achieve this goal, the player is accompanied by an octopus who can be used to interact with the environment, aiding Nemo in their mission. As a platformer, players will need to run and jump across platforms, climb up to great heights and dodge hazards. The Great Elevator acts as a hub world, where all of the different gates to the explorable worlds are contained. There are also activities and challenges that can be found in the Great Elevator.
When a player jumps into a game world, they will be transported into a fantastical setting, with a variety of objectives to complete. These can be as simple as collecting a cog piece, or completing a platform section. However, there are more challenging and slightly cryptic puzzles that players must solve, like getting a snail to a date with his girlfriend. There are even races, where the player can take on an owl with a jetpack to reach the finish line before him.
Once a player has collected three pieces, they will gain a full cog for the elevator which can be added to the gears to go to the next level up. Each level of the elevator will require a different number of cogs to progress to the next floor, increasing with each subsequent set of cogs that are used. The elevator can move up and down freely to the unlocked areas, allowing players to return to cleared areas later. This lets players collect cog pieces they may have missed previously.
Within the world of promenade are dungeons for players to explore, which are made up of puzzle rooms that must be solved to push forward. At the end of these areas, the player will encounter bosses that will test their platforming skills. Providing rewards for defeating these challenging opponents. Some bosses will provide players with special upgrades, improving the platforming and exploration options for the player to use during play.
Throughout the game, the player will also come across special dimension gates that players can jump into, providing a special challenge to take on. These challenges can also help players learn the different movement abilities, with each of them providing a Cog piece at the end of the stage. The dimension gate stages, can also be challenged under time attack rules, providing time sensitive challenges for players to earn additional Cog pieces for the Great elevator.
The last things to discuss are the many bonus challenges to discover in the world of promenade, there are just a few to mention without spoiling the big ones. In the hub world, the player will encounter mysterious arcade machines, which can be activated during the adventure, unlocking a retro styled mini game. Then there are the puzzle pieces, which can be picked up and used to restore the environment, filling in the gaps and gaining a cog piece as a reward.
There are more secrets that can be discovered in this adventure, along with speedrunning options for players who enjoy going as fast as they can. Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – as a platformer, Promenade has a relatively simple control scheme, with nice and responsive controls. The movement and platforming feels natural and comfortable, making the game a real treat to play. The only issue can possibly be the potential lack of precision when using a thumbstick, so I recommend using a controller with a good D-Pad. If you don’t have access to a pro-controller, the Joy-Cons provided with the Switch will do the job perfectly.
Difficulty – there is a fairly moderate difficulty curve to this title, with very few spikes in challenge. The game does get more difficult as the player progresses, but there are no significant fail states for this release. There is a very generous checkpoint system, which allows players to keep playing without significant penalty when being defeated. The player can also find hammocks to take a rest in, quickly healing any damage they have taken.
Presentation – visually, there is a vibrant and colorful world to explore, with colorful and fantastical environments to explore. Each of the worlds, characters and dimensional gate zones are filled with, adding to the experience of Promenade and giving it a unique identity. There are no issues with the performance, with the colors popping even more in handheld mode. The music for this release has a bright and whimsical feel to it, further enhancing the game feel.
Final Thoughts – I am an enjoyer of collectathon platformers, like Mario 64 and banjo kazooie which inspired promenade, so I was more than willing to try it out. Going into the game, I wasn’t sure how the 2D style of the game would work, but I was pleasantly surprised with how well the game style translated to flat sprites. The exploration, platforming and puzzles were a lot of fun, along with the satisfaction of beating the time based challenges.
I have no issue at all recommending this game to everyone, as this is an excellent modern platformer using a traditional style. There are some very minor issues with the game, like the cryptic solutions to some puzzles which can derail progress, but these don’t ruin the experience of the game. While there is the option of an Xbox or PlayStation version of Promenade, I personally feel that the handheld nature of the Nintendo Switch is perfect for this game.
In the end, I give Promenade a final score of 4.5/5. This is an excellent platform adventure, taking the collectathon style traditionally used in 3D games and making it fit perfectly in 2D, with a colorful world, fun challenges and lots of content to enjoy. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
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