Noita
A progress report on the games we just can’t quit
Developer/publisher Nolla Games Format PC Release 2020
Poisoned and bleeding, we hurriedly descend toward a large chest, tucked away in the only visible alcove that isn’t on fire. A second later, its lid swings open, revealing a set of teeth. Chomp. Dead. The best part of four years later, we find ourselves in a similar situation: poisoned and bleeding, we hurriedly descend – this time to escape a projectile-spitting slime, only to hover into range of a thunder mage. Its spell somehow misses us, but collides with the wall behind, the force of the explosion throwing us forward into a cluster of grenadiers. The nearest, rightly recognising we’re too close for him to raise his weapon, instead opts to use his fists. Thwack. Dead.
Our first and most recent deaths in Noita – at least the ones we’ve saved in GIF form, still an ingenious idea – suggest we’ve not learned much. But that’s not really true. First, we’ve been away for a while, so a bit of rust is understandable. And this chastening recent disaster serves more as a reminder that, in a place where every pixel is physically simulated – and just about every action results in a decidedly unequal (albeit still frequently opposite) reaction – chaos reigns supreme. Perhaps, in the end, this is why Noita isn’t spoken of in the same breath as the greats of its genre: maybe it’s a little too unpredictable for its own good. It’s a double-edged sword, though, since that’s also what sets it apart. And besides, a little alchemical knowhow goes a long way. Over time you learn to avoid the sort of mistakes th
