Grokion 01: Inception

One of the most appealing aspects of the action-adventure video game genre is the tangible sense of progression and heady appeal of exploration, knowing that every step you take and each enemy you vanquish is bringing you one step closer to your ultimate objective.

Few games manage to achieve this feeling as well as Nintendo’s 1994 SNES classic Super Metroid – a fact which is evidenced by the legion of clones that has sprung up over the years since its release.

Grokion 01: Inception is yet another copycat game to add to those ranks but its humble independent origins arguably make it more noteworthy than other shameless imitators.

For starters, the game looks astounding. The futuristic 3D locations are intricately detailed and the animation of the main character is particularly impressive. Throw some visually alluring lighting and particle effects into the mix and you’ve got a game that puts many big-budget efforts to shame.

Set in an experimental lunar space station known only as The Biosphere, Grokion’s story is gradually fleshed out as you explore the cavernous interior of your once peaceful home.

Intended as a new start for mankind, The Biosphere’s artificial ecosystem is collapsing, and with the first shipload of human migrants on its way it's up to you to solve the myriad problems affecting the station.

As in Super Metroid, Grokion is an action-platform-adventure which drops the player into a non-linear world where it’s possible to move freely between different rooms – providing you have the tools required.

For example, certain sections of the level aren’t accessible until you obtain a particular item. In the case of Grokion’s robotic protagonist LDU-1, these items are usually found on your fallen cyborg comrades and include weaponry, armour and other upgrades.

This tried-and-tested 'drip-feed' system works well, encouraging the player to investigate their surroundings thoroughly. Each navigated room feels like a mini-triumph and the elation of discovering a new upgrade or bagging a vitality-increasing energy module is immense.

These positive elements are balanced out by some less welcome aspects: running and firing your weapon is often frustratingly awkward, although once you get used to the 'stop and aim' system it does become slightly more natural.

The other big issue with Grokion in its current state is that exploding enemies are deadly: the blast radius from a fallen foe is far too aggressive, meaning you literally have to run a screen’s length away to avoid taking any damage.

Thankfully, the developer has acknowledged both of these issues and is working on remedying them in a future update. Such thoughtfulness is to be applauded and supported – especially when you consider that the success of this first game will influence the release of future episodes: as Grokion 01: Inception’s title suggests, it is intended to be the debut of a multi-part story.

While it’s not perfect by any means, Grokion is nevertheless an astonishing accomplishment for such a small development team. Its sumptuous presentation and hugely involving gameplay are enough to make you overlook the minor issues. In fact, we’d even like to think that Nintendo itself would be proud of such quality – and that’s high praise indeed.