Morphite review
When in doubt, shoot it.
Inspired by classics such as Metroid Prime and Ratchet and Clank, Crescent Moon Games’ first-person science fiction exploration title, Morphite, is a visually stunning game that showcases what an open-world exploration game should be; its beautiful graphics combine with an enriching story, retro atmosphere and a vast array of locations to explore to ensure that players won’t soon grow bored.
Players are cast into the role of Myrah Kale, a science-fiction Lara Croft, as she explores distant planets researching animal and plant species, and attempts to uncover the mysteries of the titular material, Morphite. This player-driven exploration game allows players to discover an open world full of vast planets to explore alongside her robot-cat companion, Kitcat, who guides Myrah on her travels while also joking around and giving advice that Myrah often chooses to ignore. These two are a dynamic, humorous, and cute duo who work together to investigate uncharted territories and uncover the mysteries of Morphite.
Exploration is key in the world of Morphite, where players are required to collect as much data as possible from plants and animals, trade supplies with other explorers and fight through random encounters with the tools at her disposal. Myrah can utilise the information and materials she gathers as she explores each planet to upgrade her weapons and space-suit in order to travel to planets with harsher conditions; this encourages players to explore their surroundings and gather whatever they can at all times, meaning that there is no idle waiting time and never a moment that can’t be used to make progress.
Bursting with beautiful twilight colours, Morphite showcases quite an intriguing use of low poly graphics and wonderful attention to detail. Every planet the player will explore has its own unique aesthetic, flora and fauna that makes the constant exploration even more interesting, and the bright lights make the game feel like a Tron film..
The animals that Myrah is looking to research will either stay calm and avoid conflict, or attack her on sight and provide a bit of a challenge. There are different species and different temperaments on each planet, culminating in major boss-battles. The aim controls can be a bit shaky at first, but that does not detract from the experience once you get the hang of it. The game’s retro-inspired soundtrack is a great addition as well, complementing the gameplay and exploration nicely and giving players something to tap along to.
Overall, Morphite is an open-world adventure that will keep players interested and happy while exploring the vast array of beautifully coloured planets, tapping their feet to the beat of the retro music, and shooting at hostile animals and random encounters in space. This game was a pleasant surprise and extremely fun to play, and anyone who loves exploration games will enjoy it immensely.
Our Verdict:
Morphite is a pleasant surprise for players who enjoy exploration games with beautiful graphics and a mixture of different environments to explore. The low poly graphics are stunning and no planet looks the same, leaving new and inviting planets to investigate on your journey through space.
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