Summary
THQ Nordichas had some massive announcements over the past few months,from a new Darksiders game being in developmentall the way toTarsier Studios announcing Reanimal, a spiritual successor to Little Nightmares. While there’s a lot to be excited about, there was one reveal in particular that stood out to me -The Eternal Life of Goldman.
Announced a few weeks ago during THQ’s Summer Showcase, The Eternal Life of Goldman is a side-scrolling platformer with a gorgeous hand-drawn art style reminiscent of a more realisticRayman Legendsthat stars an unlikely elderly protagonist who is basically the human equivalent of Scrooge McDuck.
I’m a huge fan of platformers and have been my whole life so, strange name aside, The Eternal Life of Goldman instantly stood out to me as one to keep an eye on. Although it’s only been less than a month since it was first shown off, my ‘George game’ suspicions have already been confirmed after going hands-on with it atGamescomthis year.
Gamescom’s Most Gorgeous Game
My preview kicked off in the exact same place as the reveal trailer, with Goldman leaping from a plane and into the middle of a burning village for as-of-yet-unknown reasons. Even though my gaming instincts flared up and told me to start jumping around, I had to take a second to admire the beautiful, if a little aflame, view.
Without a doubt, Goldman’s hand-crafted 2D art style (which has taken Weappy Studio more than six years to perfect) was one of the most visually stunning games I saw at Gamescom, and perhaps even in recent memory. It’s very reminiscent of the work that Ubisoft did on Rayman Origins and Legends, albeit with a more mature and realistic vibe that sets it apart. Even if it is a little bit more adult with its monsters, Goldman (the game that is, not the OAP) is still an absolute looker.
Goldman’s art style and story are also based on a range of fables and cultures, including Greek, Jewish, and Mesopotamian, which makes it stand out even more.
Goldman, Woo-hoo
The Eternal Life of Goldman is much more than averypretty face, however. After stopping to smell the ash and fiery leaves, I got to grips with our elderly hero’s platforming and movement mechanics, which are mostly centred around Goldman’s multipurpose cane handle. Just like Scrooge in Ducktales on the NES, the cane can be used in mid-air to hop around indefinitely, which comes in handy for reaching platforms and defeating baddies.
Ducktales’ iconic bouncing mechanic is one of my favourites in the 2D platforming genre, so I would have been happy if that was all Goldman had, but it goes a few steps further. As I continued through the forest, I unlocked a new part for the cane that let me hang onto hooks in the environment for some surprisingly tight and challenging sequences that were as precise as they were exciting.
I figured that this was the start of a Metroidvania-esque progression system where new areas are opened up as you explore, but I was told that The Eternal Life of Goldman is a more linear experience, which is a breath of fresh air considering how many platformers are taking the Metroidvania-like approach this generation.
Cane You Believe How Many Skills Goldman Has?
I also stumbled across a reinforced stick that let Goldman hop even higher in the air. These upgrades can be swapped around at any point and are used for platforming puzzles, including one that forced me back to the base bounce so I didn’t get killed by spikes hiding at the top of the screen.
The presence of an upgrade system in Goldman was already a nice surprise that added some interesting layers to the already satisfying platforming, but it sunk its claws into me even more when I realised the full game would have me swapping between parts for specific platforming sections. My demo was over before I got to see any more examples of how the cane switching works, but I love the idea of new parts being added to an arsenal and not simply overwriting one another.
I also got to experience one of Goldman’s boss battles, which had me bouncing on a bull creature to stun it before pulling it apart. It was a pretty easy encounter, but with how challenging the platforming was, I’m sure things will get tougher in the final game.
My time with The Eternal Life of Goldman was unfortunately over just as I started to get used to everything it was throwing at me, but the level I played was enough to rocket the game up to being one of my most anticipated platformers. There’s no confirmed release date just yet, but I’m hoping I can hop back in as soon as possible.
