After having played and reviewed many thousands of indie games now, I’m continuing to shore up a sense of what, to some, might seem like a surprisingly high bar of expectation for them as a whole. There was a time where simply getting a workable game to market was worth some applause, but while I absolutely appreciate the efforts of every small team and even solo developer out there, the reality is this. Even below the $10 mark, there’s an incredible amount of competition from other small teams and solo developers that have shown their worth, and thoroughly established that holding on to reasonably high expectations isn’t just fair, but appropriate.

The reason I open with that note, is that while at one time I think Clarity could have gotten a little more praise for making a perfectly decent action platformer, when turning a more critical eye to it there’s no doubt that it has some weaknesses as well. The positive is that, on a general level, this feels like a return to games of old in its overall style. It features quite a bit of encouragement for you to explore, while not going full-blown Metroidvania either, requires reasonable jumping skills, and while its combat isn’t easy it’s also manageable. For parents with a little nostalgia for the past, and who are looking for something more modern to get their kids rolling on their own gaming journey, it actually may not be a terrible choice, though there are still better ones out there.

While people could choose to be critical of the game’s looks, which are a bit on the simpler side and can be a little wonky in places, I’ve played plenty of titles that put less effort into their visuals, and this at least has some charm. My complaint is more in the controls and some more picky aspects of overall play that simply don’t work out as well. The first issue is just that combat can honestly feel a bit weird, with hitboxes and the distances of your attacks just feeling off somehow, and the game’s somewhat sloppy visuals contribute to that feeling as well. There’s just a lack of a crisp feel, leaving the action feeling uneven. The same can be said to a degree with your jumping, which is thankfully nimble enough not to be a problem but doesn’t have the best overall feel either. The fact you often can’t see areas below you very well when you’re making your way down is also a bit annoying, as this just doesn’t seem like a concern you should need to have, and typically when you finally decide not to worry it’s when that decision will bite you. This is a situation where a number of smaller cuts combine to make for a mid-sized set of issues, none of them crippling on their own, but that do collectively leave you feeling a bit indifferent about the experience rather than energized in any way.