Buttbuilt?

I wouldn't say that I'm bewildered by a game very often, but Cloudbuilt has definitely done it, and pretty quickly to boot. I guess it shouldn't be a huge surprise: when you hear someone pitch a jetpack-powered free-running wall-jumping game with lasers -- as awesome as that sounds, the first doubt fomenting in your head should be, "will it even be possible to control this?" Cloudbuilt's answer is, "sort of!"

The introductory level feels like a jarring, into-the-deep-end tutorial about the game's wall-running and jumping controls, and it's impossible not to notice how loose these controls are. So much functionality relies on the camera angle, which is of course swinging wildly as you jump around; and the distinction between surfaces you can or can't run across, or ledges you can or can't jump to, is really unclear. It took me a few minutes to come to the conclusion that I should just embrace and revel in these fast-and-loose mechanics.

Then the intro level is over, and the first real level begins. And now there's a jetpack! All the tutorial's mechanics are blown way, way up, and brand new control hints just keep popping up - how to double-jump, how to run up walls, how to control elevation, shooting, charging, placing checkpoints! sweet Jebus - it's like a constant stream of disorienting bullshit, in addition to the already-disorienting controls.

The game works best when it's running fast (not unlike Mirror's Edge, Prince of Persia, et al), but the controls are so wacky and sensitive that it's impossible to do this game fast. Well, it's impossible for me to do this game fast. I'd bet that a practiced player could get there, but man. There's just no hope for me.

Progress: Finished the first real level.