Review: Project GERT Recon

Project GERT Recon is a game that tried to do too much.

This game is part platformer, part action/adventure and part puzzle game. But, none are properly fleshed out so the game loses focus. It’s a platformer on the surface. You play as a special agent named Gertrude who is armed with a sword and special shoes that allow her to double jump, but she definitely does not play like one. Her movements are clunky and she swings her sword like it’s way too heavy for her.

Moving around became a serious problem because Gertrude isn’t as responsive as she needs to be. She doesn’t stop right away so don’t be surprised if you run into enemies by accident. Even something as simple as jumping to a small platform is hard because it’s difficult to adjust her movements in mid-air.

Then there’s your sword. It’s easier to avoid killing the one type of enemy you do have to fight because slashing at them creates more frustration then it’s worth. Each robot killed releases a tiny orb that tracks your movements and tries to shock you. Take a swing and it floats away just in the nick of time. Hitting this orb is a matter of luck rather than skill.

The puzzles in this game make up for a lot of the problems and almost make the platforming worth it. You access each puzzle via consoles scattered throughout the world. The goal is to get a target block to settle on a marked platform. Sometimes the target block sits on a group of inert ones of various shapes that you have to make disappear. Points are awarded based on how much time is left on the clock and how many inert blocks are left on screen when the target block settles

There are times the target block sits on a separate platform and special powers are necessary. As the game progresses you float blocks with balloons, shoot them with bottle caps, even blow them with bombs to propel them onto another platform. Figuring out each puzzle is fun and addicting, but its also a process of trial and error because there is no explanation of what you are supposed to do.  

The story in this game is forgettable. You’re fighting an alien race that consists of the same robot over and over again. The puzzles you solve are a way to upload a virus that will ultimately destroy them. While Project GERT had decent voice acting, they really weren’t given much to work with. There are a couple of attempts at emotional moments in this game, but the dialogue only served to make things awkward and seems out of place in this game.   

Project GERT could have done without the clunky platforming and slipshod story. Cut straight to the puzzles.

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