In a world where perfect cloning exists, how would those clones be treated? Would they deserve the same rights as everyone else, or would they just be worked to death?
Overloop asks these questions, albeit in a rather silly way, as you platform, shoot, and puzzle-solve your way through a dystopian world where cloning is rampant and everyone is eating corn.
Overloop is a casual puzzle platformer where almost every test is solved by taking full advantage of cloning technology. Most of the puzzle solutions involve throwing clones at them, literally, until a way forward is clear. You begin with the ability to create a single clone and as you progress, you slowly add more clones to your arsenal.
Each clone can be swapped between and moved around independently. This allows you to activate switches, carry your clones over gaps, and more. The one caveat is that only the original can pass through the exit door on each stage. Thankfully, your clones wear a different colored shirt than you do. It would’ve been interesting if Overloop allowed the clones to continue forward in place of the original, especially if it would’ve changed the story up.
But I can see why they didn’t. It would be hard to convince someone to replay the entire game just to get a special ending, even with the short playtime. While fun, there isn’t much in the way of replayability.
Many of the puzzles rely on self-sacrifice. Well, that is if throwing clones into a series of deadly traps counts as self-sacrifice. For example, lasers get deactivated when clones jump into them, and they make great meat shields when you’re faced with turrets. There are several sections of the game where you get criticized for using your clones in such a way, but I found that to be a bit unfair. After all, sacrificing them is the only way to progress through most of Overloop.
The puzzles are well constructed and fun, if not a little simplistic as well. Overloop never becomes a very difficult game and the majority of puzzles can be solved fairly easily in one attempt. Some sections do take a couple off attempts, but the answer always becomes evident rather quickly.
Towards the end of the game, some parts do require you to act quickly, but even those remain pretty simple. It is a short game, with my playthrough taking just over an hour and a half. There are sixty gems to collect throughout the game as an added challenge, but if you collect them, you keep them even if you die.
Overloop switches up the gameplay mechanics every once in a while, playing around with how you progress. But it never deep dives into these mechanics and because of that it remains a fairly short game. There certainly would’ve been more room to experiment and create more complex puzzles, but it would be a much less casual experience.
I think the short game length fits in with the story, which is surprisingly well crafted for an indie game about cloning. It’s not going to win any awards for groundbreaking storytelling, but it’s a fun and silly story that touches on some ethical questions without ever taking itself too seriously.
There are some comedic bits, such as the religious cult built around corn and other wacky happenings. Most of the story is told overtly through villainous monologues, but there are notes spread throughout the game that you can read for backstory, and many of the characters have brief dialogue where they provide some insight into the world.
The graphics fit your standard 8-bit pixel affairs, and the soundtrack is surprisingly good for a low-key indie game. Each area has its own music that fits the tone of the stage, and it never gets overbearing or repetitive. A tedious soundtrack can really drag down a gaming experience, so it’s always nice to see something that takes the time to make sure it’s done right.
After an initial playthrough I was left just one achievement shy of completion. All I needed for that last achievement was to collect all the optional pickups that are spread throughout the game. As I mentioned earlier, these stay collected even after dying, so getting them all isn’t much of a challenge. Once the game is cleared, a level select becomes available, and it’s possible to go back and pick up any that you missed.
I’d imagine it would only take two or three hours to fully complete Overloop, and earn every achievement, depending on your affinity for platformers. But whatever, if you are looking for a casual puzzle-platformer that you can beat in an afternoon, then Overloop is a neat little game to pick up.
