ReCore is an action-adventure, platform video game published by Microsoft Studios exclusively for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One.
Kicking off the next round of heavy-hitting video game titles, ReCore is a beautifully crafted game with a multitude of interesting gameplay aspects, including modern day elements of old school platformers such as Mega Man and Metroid. Played from a third person perspective, ReCore consists of modern day loot and upgrade systems along with seemingly arcade-like action loops, a combination which works great together.
ReCore follows the game’s protagonist, Joule Adams, as she awakens on a desert planet called Far Eden, after centuries of slumber. Due to the Earth’s rapid decline, Joule’s initial mission was to find a new world for mankind to colonise and inhabit. However, upon awakening, she finds no traces of humans nor the rest of the time and finds that the robots, designed to assist humans, had gone rogue.
Forced to set off alone and figure out what to do in the hostile world of Far Eden, Joule’s only companions include her Corebot dog (robotic -like creature), Mack and a couple of other little robot creatures. Thanks to the limited set of tools at her disposal, Joule is able to explore the desert planet freely and with ease. Her ability to double jump and perform mid-air dashes allow for smooth movement and a solid platforming experience. Together with a shooting mode, Joule’s tools make combat mode enjoyable. This is also done by the game requiring players to coordinate and combine use of all the tools at their disposal to test their skills.
Colour coding seems to an important part of the gameplay as there are four colour associations to deal with, comprising of red, yellow, blue and white, which can be used against attacking hordes. Matching the colour blasts with the enemy increases the damage done to the enemy and allows their cores to be pulled out much more quickly, which can then be used to upgrade Mack and Joule’s other little robotic companions. Mack and the little robots can also be upgraded by collecting colour coded loot.
The best loot and upgrades to Joule’s abilities come from exploring dungeons and completing side quests in a single go, which can become rather tedious and tiring, doing it over and over in order to strengthen Joule’s abilities and collect all possible loot. The game can also become exhausting by restricting players from progressing in the game unless they have collected a certain number of prismatic cores, a resource that can be found in the dungeons.
One of ReCore‘s biggest drawbacks, however (which is such a minute drawback if you’re a patient gamer), is the time the game takes to load upon warping to different areas or dying and respawning. Nevertheless, this little setback is nothing compared to the overall enjoyment the game provides.
Visually, as mentioned above, ReCore is stunning, with its crisp and clear graphics and incredibly pretty desert world. Along with what I personally felt was smooth gaming and audio that adds to the sense of action and adventure, ReCore is a game I truly enjoyed, despite some difficulty later on in the game (for a small time gamer like myself).
Coming from AAA-developers and at a price that is considered ‘cheap’ for new titles, ReCore is one game that is a must to pick-up and will provide hours of unique challenges and great fun. You can pick up either the standard edition, which comes with a special edition ReCore poster and download code for Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Xbox 360, or the Collector’s Edition, which includes the special edition ReCore poster, Joule and Mack statue, metal case, lithography and a Corebot alphabet decoder dial, from Mighty Ape (where I usually purchase my games).