OVIVO | Nintendo Switch Review
Updated: Nov 19, 2021
Are you ever looking for a platformer which thinks outside of the box? Well OVIVO may be just exactly what you are looking for. This game was developed by IzHard and published by Sometimes You. OVIVO is available to purchase on Windows PC, PlayStation, XBox, and Nintendo Switch. For this review, I was playing OVIVO on Nintendo Switch in docked mode.
You are in control of this small circle, called OVO. Your job is to collect little dots around the map, while also collecting intricate pieces to fill a chain. What makes this platform shy away from the norm is that you can traverse between two different levels of gravity. In the white areas you are a black circle and the gravity works as normal. In the black areas, the laws of gravity pull you upwards, not downwards, and you are a little white ball. So there is a natural balance between the black and white areas - yin and yang. By moving between the two, you gain momentum that is needed to climb slopes and tackle obstacles. Once you have reached the end of the map, it zooms out to show the complete area covered.
In terms of the mechanics, OVIVO is very minimalist. All you need to do is to press A to switch between the black and white dimensions. That does by no means say that this game is easy to play - au contraire. Timing is the key to making sure your wee circle manoeuvres between areas and obstacles. In some cases a bit of movement around the area while tapping the A button is key to getting some momentum, allowing you to reach the next platform. You must also time carefully, making sure to switch between dimensions at the right time in order to avoid spikes or simply falling off the map. The difficulty increases as you move from level to level - with thirty in total - as there are more obstacles introduced as well as more complex methods on travelling through the map. Even though you might struggle through some areas, OVIVO never appears to be a game that you would simply toss to one side out of anger or frustration.
One danger about games which focus on this yin-yang aspect is the unintention to look boring and dull. OVIVO has absolutely no issues with this, as you can see from the images in this review. The intricate layouts and attention to the littlest detail make this game all the more special. At one point while making my way through one of the levels, I noticed that I was trying to go from one platform shaped like a hand to another hand. It did not take me long to realise that I was jumping between the hands of Adam and God in The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo which is featured on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The beauty of the game design is also matched by its amazing soundtrack, which left my OVIVO experience a most pleasurable one indeed.
I enjoyed the game so much, I cannot really fault anything about it. Maybe a thing people may have issue with is the lack of a tutorial or obvious storyline. You are just thrown into the action. Also it is not too obvious at the beginning that you are to collect items as you go along - but not to worry, none of this hinders your progress to the next level, so even if you are missing items, you can replay the level and locate them. Unfortunately you will also find it difficult to move back to an area if you missed an item, due to the mechanics of the game. But again, these things would be very minor in my book, and did not deter me from the stunning visuals and gameplay.
OVIVO provided me with a very enjoyable gaming experience. The stunning visuals and amazing soundtrack, as well as its clever gaming features of switching between areas of gravity makes this an obvious choice for your next purchase. It plays wonderfully in docked and in handheld mode on the Nintendo Switch, and requires a lot of clever technique to move from one area to the next. From the moment I was introduced to little OVO, I was instantly hooked. So if you are looking for an interesting, exciting platformer, which is somewhat out of the ordinary, then OVIVO may be the game for you.
Tina's Rating: 4.5 wee dots out of 5.
For more information on OVIVO please use the following links...
IzHard - Developer | Facebook | Twitter | Website
Sometimes You - Publisher | YouTube | Twitter | Website
Many thanks to Sometimes You and Keymailer for the Review Key.
OVIVO | Steam Store | PlayStation Store | XBox Live | Nintendo eShop