There’s a lot to be said for simplicity in the world of gaming. New iterations of Tetris continue to engage veterans and newcomers alike, barely a year goes by without a new variant of Pac-Man, while Vampire Survivors – and its slew of clones – simply involve circling enemies with everything else handled automatically. Ideally, simple games must also have tact to keep players engaged, or else they’ll run the risk of feeling cheap and lazy. It’s a difficult balancing act.
The tribal themed Aztek Tiki Talisman falls into the 3D platformer camp, but cast aside expectations of a nostalgia filled Super Mario 64 homage. This is a very straightforward affair that features fifty short, disconnected, stages with typical platformer hazards such as pop-up floor spikes and fireball spitting totems. There’s no variation whatsoever outside of its central theme as each level resembles the last, formed from white blocks on a grassy background, and the same music plays throughout. Don’t expect anything resembling a storyline either – there are no cut-scenes whatsoever. So little is outlined that I’m not even 100% sure Tiki Talisman is the protagonist’s name.
Each stage has three stars to find, only occasionally hidden out of view, along with a blue gem that opens a portal. Only the gem and at least one star must be found to complete a stage, although this means missing out on a three star rating. The next level commences regardless – it’s entirely possible to go for the bare minimum and still see the ending. Although there are no checkpoints during a stage, magically appearing staircases prevent a dash back to the starting point. If you’re feeling lucky, it’s possible to cheat and get them to appear early by randomly ‘headbutting’ blocks.
Controls are also kept simple. Our blonde-haired hero – a dead ringer for Weststone’s Wonder Boy – is limited to jumping and axe throwing. Lobbing axes is unpredictable at best, often prompting a slight shuffle to line up targets perfectly. It has unlimited range, however, meaning it’s possible to destroy the path-patrolling tribesmen and piranha plants from afar. Seeing most of Aztek Tiki Talisman involves leaping from one block formation to another, it did come as a surprise to find movement slippery. Our hero doesn’t instantly come to a standstill after running, and due to most objects being curved rather than angular, if you land on a block’s edge, you’re likely to slide off.
Coupled with the one hit death system, Aztek Tiki Talisman is pretty challenging – just not always for the right reasons. Levels gradually increase in size, adding more spike strips and other hazards, but it fails to introduce new ideas on a regular basis. Moveable blocks don’t come into play until around level thirty – around two hours in. Indeed, you won’t find anything here in the way of surprises and innovation. This is also true for the boss battles, sadly, all of which are against a stock enemy – only with different flame-based attack patterns from one battle to the next. These can be tricky, but only because the battle arena gives little room to manoeuvre.
In terms of its overall structure, especially the truncated levels, it’s hard to think of other 3D platform games to compare Aztek Tiki Talisman to. The best I could muster was the PSone’s Floating Runner – which predated Super Mario 64 – and Bomberman 64, due to its similar camera placement. Not quite top down, not quite isometric. The difference between these games (other than almost thirty years) is that Aztek Tiki Talisman is a £5 indie game clearly made by a small team on a tiny budget. At that price point, it certainly isn’t being missold. It should be clear that we’re in low budget territory.
Due to its sheer simplicity, it won’t fill retro platforming fans with gooey nostalgia, nor will it entertain younger gamers for long. Whom the game’s target audience is, other than achievement hunters, is a mystery akin to the secrets buried with the Aztecs.
Josep Monzonis Hernandez’ Aztek Tiki Talisman (also known as Aztec Tiki Talisman) is out December 14th on consoles. Published by JanduSoft.