Beyond Galaxyland – PC Review

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Introducing Beyond Galaxyland a retro-futuristic adventure from developer Sam Enright. Their previous first foray into the gaming industry The Greater Good (2018) garnered many great reviews with some saying it was a masterpiece. This game, released on the 24th September 2024, seems to surpass the first in graphics, story, and more. It’s available on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch.

TO THE STARS AND BEYOND

There’s definitely a market for these pixelated side-scrolling adventures which are a love letter to games such as Another World, Flashback, Prince of Persia, and more. What games do you have fond memories of playing? Leave a comment and let’s get talking. Let’s go explore Galaxyland together!

Gameplay

Beyond Galaxyland tells the tale of Doug an unassuming teen thrown into an adventure spanning different worlds and galaxies. The premise itself is of a scale hard to describe. The game overcomes this by keeping it grounded on Earth where we join Doug as he’s playing with his friend in the woods. Soon enough though Doug’s life as he knows it is turned upside down when Earth is attacked. He’s abruptly whisked away from danger by an unknown force, and he’s not the only one. Occupants of other planets, who have faced the same destruction, have been saved and taken to a Galaxy with each planet made for each alien type.

A galaxy view of an assortment of planets and stars with a spaceship in the foreground. All presented in a detailed pixelated fashion
We are whisked away, to a Galaxy far far away

Faced with losing his loved ones in these strange and distant lands, Doug is as you’d expect, like a fish out of water. Luckily his pet hamster Boom Boom was also saved. Boom Boom’s even been given an evolutionary step-up, meaning he can now talk, walk on two feet, and use a gun. All very handy when you need to take on some evil forces. You are both guided through these strange lands by a helpful robot aka MartyBot. A jovial assistant who also serves as your tutorial guide. Due to an error Doug, Boom Boom and MartyBot land far from the residential area and must travel there on foot. This is where the fun starts.

Combat

You are introduced to the game’s impressive, beautiful and very detailed backdrops which due to a parallax effect seem almost 3D. I was almost too preoccupied looking at the scenery on my first encounter with an enemy! It does feel as though you are thrown into combat, which you come to find, forms a major part of the game. Reminiscent of games such as Pokémon and Final Fantasy, Beyond Galaxyland uses turn-based attacks and strategy in its combat. The combat does retain some in-the-moment attacks though allowing you, the gamer, to press buttons to attack when selecting the form of attack from a menu, which I found fun.

A game screen with hud showing a battle in progress. A character swipes at a big rock like creature
I don’t make a habit of hitting wildlife only when it hits first!

As you progress you gain new abilities such as capturing any creature you came across and use them in battle. You can also take photos of creatures to find out about them including their health bar for battles. I found these additions to be icing on an already appealing cake. There were some really clever puzzles thrown in too. These reminded me of the puzzles often found in the Legend of Zelda games. Which is quite an accomplishment for a 2d side-to-side game!

Graphics & Audio

Beyond Galaxyland‘s pixel background and characters are noticeably detailed and great to behold. Some amount of time has been put into the overall look, animations, and effects. Each location and every building interior look absolutely amazing. The animations of the main character and the world in general give the game a charm which some games have difficulty capturing.

The lands of Galaxyland are full of quirky characters and this is showcased well by the game through its sound effects and music score. The music score uses a piano and synth to make a truly memorable score to the game which adds levity and a sense of adventure to the whole game. I never once found it repetitive or boring.

Longevity

The game’s length comes in at around 11 hours. During my time playing the game offered up enough unique and fun additions, locations, and characters to keep me hooked. A lot of time is spent revisiting old areas. However with some clever puzzle areas thrown in and new quests, you could easily spend a lot of time just getting totally immersed in the whole story.

A large contraption consisting of ramps and slopes on tracks as a part of a puzzle in a game
The perfect perplexing puzzle for providing perfect playtime

Final Thoughts

What a game! I didn’t know what to expect when looking into the details of Beyond Galaxyland. Although its charm, beautiful graphics, and characters soon won me over. I will definitely continue playing through this game. I’d recommend anyone with a love of narrative-based pixel games to try this out. It’s such an enjoyable game full of challenging combat, and puzzles but mostly heart and character.

I award Beyond Galaxyland the prestigious Thumb Culture Gold Award!

Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.

If you enjoyed this review, why not check out my previous articles here

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