Developer: Owch
Genre: Puzzle
A part of the Itch.io Racial Justice bundle - 2/1,704
Technical issues:
Palace of Woe thrusts you into its world with no goal or explanation and sends you on your way. The halls are littered with chairs, disorganized level geometry, and strange creatures lurking about. It's rough, but it isn't without its charm. The minimalist presentation and selected color scheme compliment the ambiance of the score; slow brewing with its selection of quiet synth work, light organic instrumentation, and when the occasion calls for it, unsettling noise. It reminds me at times of RPG maker cult classics from previous decades like Yume Nikki and OFF! in that regard.
However, unlike those titles, Palace of Woe shows no interest in relishing in the disturbing visuals and violence that punctuates the aforementioned - though it doesn't shy away from them completely, either. This title is patient with the player through their journey. Your punishment for failure is to simply respawn at your previous entry point in a room and then try again. You're allowed to get lost in the world as you map out each location and work out your eventual goal. It gives you the time you need to process what you're witnessing and piece together, if possible, what it could possibly all mean.
Combat is simple but it's not without some complexity depending on your opponent. You control patterns in a small grid with an upcoming tab and a hold tab if needed. You can move your pattern anywhere in the grid or even split it across the field by pushing it through the boundary lines. Filled grids damage the opponent while any overlaps damage you. Many of your encounters will require you to figure out how to fill patterns to maximize damage while others will require you to make riskier moves by taking damage to deal higher output. Make this a fast-paced system with a limit for each move and you're given an excellent, brain-tickling combat system that works with simplicity.
What impressed me most with Palace of Woe is how the ending flipped a switch that made everything about it that was puzzling, disturbing and confusing suddenly make sense. It's a surprisingly deep game and the revelations received as a reward for your labor made my time with it all the more worth it. It does some very clever things with its presentation and there's a deeper analysis hiding in this title, which is something I'd be interested in writing elsewhere. I am cautious of giving away anything about this title and instead urge anyone who decides to check it out to go in blind like myself.
That aside, I am glad I tried this one out because it's a great concept piece. It's messy and a bit disturbing, but it is also relaxing and peaceful and caps everything off with an optimistic message by the end of it. I am certain that as others pick this one up and finish it to see what it is all about they will also find some appreciation for the work put in here.
However, unlike those titles, Palace of Woe shows no interest in relishing in the disturbing visuals and violence that punctuates the aforementioned - though it doesn't shy away from them completely, either. This title is patient with the player through their journey. Your punishment for failure is to simply respawn at your previous entry point in a room and then try again. You're allowed to get lost in the world as you map out each location and work out your eventual goal. It gives you the time you need to process what you're witnessing and piece together, if possible, what it could possibly all mean.
Combat is simple but it's not without some complexity depending on your opponent. You control patterns in a small grid with an upcoming tab and a hold tab if needed. You can move your pattern anywhere in the grid or even split it across the field by pushing it through the boundary lines. Filled grids damage the opponent while any overlaps damage you. Many of your encounters will require you to figure out how to fill patterns to maximize damage while others will require you to make riskier moves by taking damage to deal higher output. Make this a fast-paced system with a limit for each move and you're given an excellent, brain-tickling combat system that works with simplicity.
What impressed me most with Palace of Woe is how the ending flipped a switch that made everything about it that was puzzling, disturbing and confusing suddenly make sense. It's a surprisingly deep game and the revelations received as a reward for your labor made my time with it all the more worth it. It does some very clever things with its presentation and there's a deeper analysis hiding in this title, which is something I'd be interested in writing elsewhere. I am cautious of giving away anything about this title and instead urge anyone who decides to check it out to go in blind like myself.
That aside, I am glad I tried this one out because it's a great concept piece. It's messy and a bit disturbing, but it is also relaxing and peaceful and caps everything off with an optimistic message by the end of it. I am certain that as others pick this one up and finish it to see what it is all about they will also find some appreciation for the work put in here.
- The player character sprite has a white border around it which becomes obvious when traversing terrain of different colors.
PALACE OF WOE can be purchased on Itch.io now.
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