Bite-sized Review: Overloop

By Chris Picone, 20 September 2022

Overloop is a puzzle platformer (seems to be a lot of those lately!) that’s based on a very cool and unique cloning mechanic. It has a good sense of humour and is a lot of fun!

Aesthetics

Pixels! And super cute pixels at that. I don’t know how to describe them exactly – what’s the pixel version of “chibi”? The levels are relatively minimalist so as to not detract from the gameplay but there are some exquisitely detailed world screens in between. There’s also an interesting story exploring the possible ramifications of real-world human cloning running in the background, which they’ve tackled in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek manner. It’s neat.

Gameplay

You have a cloning gun! Just push a button and a clone appears instantly. You can then use this clone to trigger switches which might move platforms or control lasers, or to lift you up to help you reach high places, or to sacrifice themselves by jumping into a death trap so you can go on living. At the start of the game you can only have one clone at a time but you can make them explode at will if you ever need a new one somewhere else. As the game’s puzzles progressively get more complex - sometimes you might need to trigger multiple switches or trigger switches in a sequence – your gun also upgrades to allow more clones to exist simultaneously. The learning curve is very gentle and despite the continuous gory deaths of your clone army I think this would be a friendly puzzle game for younger players.

Verdict

The puzzles are fun and I love the cloning mechanic but what I really love about this game is its sense of humour. Would happily recommend Overloop to any fan of puzzle platformers.

Links: https://store.steampowered.com/app/720660/Overloop/