Remnants of Naezith is a slick grappling hook platformer that's tuned to perfection

Few games make me repeatedly go back and try to improve my times, with Remnants of Naezith [Steam, Official Site] being one such game that has completely hooked my attention. The game released yesterday with same-day Linux support from developer Tolga Ay. 

Disclosure: Key provided by the developer.

YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show   Direct Link

Sometimes, there really is absolute beauty in simplicity. There's not a lot of game mechanics here, you hook and swing, you boost and you jump. However, it's the way it's presented that makes it absolutely addictive. You're basically left to fend for yourself as soon as the game starts, with only a single goal: get to the end, as quickly as inhumanly possible.

What the developer has done with these few simple mechanics is fantastic. You will be using a mixture of hooking and boosting while pulling yourself up, to propel you at speed to get higher, you will also be using your boost paired with a few well times jumps to surf along water as well. Part of the difficulty, at least for me, is remembering the button to press at a moments notice. There's been so many times I've hooked and jumped to pull myself up, instead of a hook and boost to powered upwards.

What's fantastic, is that you instantly get a high score table as soon as you beat a level. With this, you can race against a ghost and also view a replay of how someone else did it, including highlighting the exact buttons they're pressing which was pretty slick. The skill some people already have in the game is maddening, but it's so damn fun and extremely fulfilling when you manage to get even a second faster than a previous run.

Some of it can end up a little frustrating, like when you're just not making that one hook and falling to your death. It certainly gets challenging that's for sure and I can imagine this being an absolute must-own for people who like speed-running. A lot of your first runs will be to learn the layout of the level and find the best places to hook into and boost your way through. Once you get the basics down you can continue to improve your times.

Here's a look at a few quick moments I was particularly proud of myself (after failing so many times I lost count):

YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show   Direct Link

In terms of level design, performance and actual gameplay, the developer has pretty much tuned it to perfection. The level design is devilish in the details as fair amounts of it requires some serious concentration. A second too late can result in a fatal blow to your time, with how the levels require you to so quickly switch between hooking, jumping and boosting.

There's only one real gripe I have with the game, which is the tips that come up. They are helpful, if you actually get a chance to read them as they vanish as quickly as they appear on the screen.

You can find Remnants of Naezith on Steam. Well worth a look, but wow my hand aches like mad after it. It also works perfectly with the Steam Controller.