Sludge Life Review The Art Of Spray Painting The Nerd Stash

Tagging has always been a way of life for some people. And that medium has grown into multiple video games. In Sludge Life, the 3D platformer puts you on an interesting path. Tag up the city to your heart’s content. At least, till you cover the free spots in your work. Developed by Terri Vellmann and Doseone, the game can be found on Steam and Nintendo E-shop for $14.99.

Sludge Life Gameplay

Being a 3D platformer, things were fairly straightforward. Player movement was a combination of the usual W,A,S,D, and the cursor. When I first dropped into the Sludge Life, I knew the objective. And that was to tag any free canvases I could find. Well, it is certainly easier said than done. But one advantage is the indicators for spots ready to vandalize. It was awesome to see each of the spots lit up with a bright blue spray can. Sometimes there will only be one can. And at other times, there will be two. Two cans typically indicated a dual piece. Sludge Life is one 3D platformer that will not be forgiving about this. I made it a point to complete a two-sided or two-part piece. Getting to those vantages was frustrating enough. I wasn’t about to climb up there again.

When a place is too high to reach, Sludge Life answers that problem with a glider. In order to reach a few places, you’ll have to venture in the opposite direction. It sounds like fun, right? It was until I put in the work to find it and use it. The glider was hidden atop the hangar’s roof. Behind the only door inside the hangar is a ladder leading to the roof. And when using it, one must press and hold the space bar. It’s not always easy to execute, so be sure to practice the use of this item.

One of the most frustrating parts was falling from buildings. If I wasn’t careful, I dropped from a substantial height like a stone. For some reason, I couldn’t see how many spots I was done tagging. If there was a list, I could not find it. But, finding the camera should help with this. Take pictures of spots with cans in case they are too high. Then, go back to the game’s ‘computer menu’ and review the pictures you’ve taken. It was a nice touch, even if it was a bit time-consuming.

The Sights and Sounds of Sludge Life

Don’t expect high-end graphics in this title. While it came as a surprise, I was pretty entertained by the simple graphics. The color palette used in the game reminded me a lot of Jet Set Radio Future. That is probably what kept me interested. Aside from the color scheme and graffiti, there were no other connections. Jet Set was a game for everyone, whereas Sludge Life is a semi-mindless exploration adventure for adults.

The muted colors provide a dismal backdrop for the vandalism adventure. Everything one sees is a result of people being ‘tired of it all.’ What passed for ‘voice speech’ was a bunch of odd distorted noises. Voices were gibberish, but the readable speech lines were often hilarious. “I can tell you don’t have money. So you can dig through our trash” was one such line. Because there was so much pollution in the town, there wasn’t much visual distance. It was a nice touch, considering the title Sludge Life.

Visually, the game can be described as trippy. But I wouldn’t recommend sticking to default settings. For anyone with light sensitivity issues, it can be hard to play for long periods. Until I messed with the settings, I couldn’t play the game for more than a few minutes at a time. Character designs were also something else. More than half of the city’s population had exaggerated features. As did the animals I encountered. Their appearances made the animals look deceptively docile. Egrets would attack one minute and other times they would simply stare with bug-eyes.

Conclusion

Sludge Life was certainly an adventure in terms of a 3D platformer. And while the graphics hurt visually, it’s nothing a little tweaking couldn’t solve. I only wish things could have been made easier with a traditional map. Warp pads were available, which was great. It required less walking if I needed to get back somewhere. And with no map that I could find, it was the best I was going to get. But I wouldn’t recommend the game to anyone with a short fuse. If you’re looking to test out your patience, it’s definitely one to look at. It’s great for anyone looking for a mindless adventure. Or anyone who wants to take a break from the hectic nature of BR titles. Just be sure to use a controller if you want to avoid some of that frustration.

SLUDGE LIFE Review

SLUDGE LIFE puts you directly into the role of Ghost, a vandal known for their graffiti. Find and hit the spots to leave your mark on the town. Think you can find all 30 spots?

Overall Score

Good

Pros:

Character designs are ‘out there’ Simple controls Game pad support Low-spec Mini-game available after finding ‘CDs’ in the game world

Cons:

Default settings can cause eye issues No traditional map Tagging spots are not indicated by list until found

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