Heavenly Bodies – Spotlight
In Heavenly Bodies, you take on the role of an astronaut or cosmonaut tasked with completing various tasks in outer space. You’ll also need to be precise with your movements and solve puzzles, or you’ll be sucked into the void. According to Heavenly Bodies, “the body and absence of gravity” are its main themes. Whether in single-player, local coop, or using Steam’s remote play, you’ll have a blast yelling at the astronaut to move around in this third-person shooter.
For pure hilarity, play and watch Heave Ho or Getting Over It (a physics game) or QWOP on your computer. The only difference between Heavenly Bodies and the other is that we’re in space. It doesn’t matter if they’re opening doors, securing cables, or anything else. Gripping objects, walls, or even your co-op partner allows you to interact with the world around you. Playing this game is best done with a controller. Mapping is provided for those who desire it.
In comparison to other physics games, Heavenly Bodies has three control options. With “Assisted” controls enabled, you’ll be able to go wherever your arms tell you to go. There is a bit of a learning curve with the “classic” controls, but you won’t find any accurate physics. ‘Newtonian’ controls, the most difficult of the three, are what you’d pick if you’re looking for a challenge. There is little difference between Assisted and Classic in the long run. In the beginning, it’s easier to use Assisted controls, but it didn’t alleviate the difficulty of learning new skills. There are times when things don’t go according to plan while playing. When trying to grab a rope, for example, you may find that your character is unable to do so, forcing you to turn around in zero gravity, which takes forever. Your character may also get stuck if it moves in a certain way while running and ends up with its head or body stuck in a gap.
Although frustrating, the controls have a certain allure. While in orbit, it can be amusing to let go of gravity and cling to something for a while. Similar to Gravity (2013), but without the frights and terrors. Meanwhile, a speedrun timer is available for those who prefer to play at a faster pace. If you’re a speed junkie, this could be the game for you. You can choose whether to time the game or the mission.
Even if you’re half-way through a mission, you can easily switch from single-player to local coop mode. Leaving multiplayer and returning to single-player are both simple options. Online co-op is not possible (at this time), which is a real shame. That online gaming can bring people together is something we’ve learned over the past two years.
Heavenly Bodies can be a frustrating game to play all by yourself. Playing with the controls of your character or pushing a box and watching it get stuck. There’s a fair amount of frustration in even trying to figure out the puzzles and what they’re asking of you. However, completing a level or even a small portion of a mission that has been causing you problems is gratifying. Sometimes you get to enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with challenging games. That is what you can get from Heavenly Bodies. Additionally, you have the luxury of taking a breather and contemplating your next move.
Cooperative mode doesn’t make the level any easier, but it’s always more fun to play in coop mode because it’s more entertaining. It is possible for a second player to enjoy sabotaging the first, either by holding onto your leg, blocking a passage, or pushing them in the wrong direction. Mindless entertainment can be found in group shenanigans, and Heavenly Bodies excels at this sort of thing. Coop allows you to take a different approach to the game and gain a new perspective on it. At least this time, you’re working with two minds instead of just one when it comes to solving the puzzles. In spite of this, completing tasks can be challenging at times.
There are times when a puzzle won’t work and you’ll need to retrace your steps and figure out what went wrong. A task can be difficult to complete in a conventional manner at times. The best feeling is when you take a different approach and it succeeds. If we want to remove a rock from an astroid, why not drill into it and then pull it out that way? It’s wonderful to see a different kind of skill flourish in Heavenly Bodies. And hey, sometimes you just have to accept the fact that you got there in a different way than you expected.
This is a subjective matter, and it depends on the quality of the mission direction explanations that are given. Having a clear idea of what the goal is and how to achieve it can be two different things. Obfuscation of information may be appreciated by some players, allowing them to learn through trial and error. However, in some cases, a walkthrough or a more direct hint system would have been helpful..
Players who encounter difficulties can choose from a variety of accessibility options. As I mentioned earlier, this includes the movement style. Toggling a grab button instead of holding an item is another option, as is allowing the game to show you which buttons to press when you hover over an object. All caps can be replaced with case sensitive text. Once again, if your astronaut is upside down, you’ll be reminded to switch cameras in the left-hand corner.
In terms of accessibility, there is only one problem: The text is too small to read on larger screens. In future updates, it would be great to be able to adjust the size of some of the text. In spite of its size, the white text on a grey background makes it difficult to read on the change camera reminder. Although the team is small, there is a decent amount of accessibility features. It’s wonderful to see them put into practise.
Even though Heavenly Bodies is set in the 1970s and has a 1970s aesthetic, it still has a modern feel to it thanks to its strong aesthetic. Using NASA’s Mission Operations Control Room as a model for the chapter menu is a nice touch. I love the use of film grain to evoke the look and feel of the 1970s in the visuals. It’s not a trend, but it feels right to be in a game like this.
All of the buttons and small parts, as well as what’s contained within space stations’ boxes, show a great deal of care and attention to detail. When it comes to environmental storytelling, 2pt Interactive excels.
The sound of Heavenly Bodies is synth-heavy. Drive (2011), Escape from New York (1981) and The Social Network (2010), or in gaming terms, Mass Effect (2007), Hotline Miami (2012), and Cyberpunk 2077 (2020) are all examples of music that you’ll enjoy here, as well. The sound design is also innovative. It’s impossible to ignore anything that goes bang or clank while on board the space station. You’re left thinking, “wow, we’re really alone right now, huh? “. If you’re that type of person, this might be a little too existential.”
While the game’s aesthetics are pleasing, it can be frustrating to play due to the game’s clunky controls. Heavenly Bodies has the potential to be a great game. Fans of the genre are likely to have a good time either with friends or alone. In Heavenly Bodies, you’ll find yet another physics-based game to enjoy. But if you’re prone to frustration or annoyance, you might want to avoid this one.
