Entwined Reviews
PS4's Entwined doesn't fully deliver on its promise. It's beautiful, but also frustrating.
But a small handful of highlights is not enough to save Entwined. It's a game that strains for profundity and meaning - that's particularly evident in its Trophy titles - but finds them ever beyond its grasp. Some will be soothed by its contemplative mood, others will relish the challenge of mastering those devious patterns, but to me the two felt like an awkward mismatch. Sony might have given Entwined a gentle shove into the spotlight, but there are surely better, more deserving PS4 indies waiting in the wings for their time to shine.
A disappointingly bare-bones color-matching game that doesn't measure up to its artsy promise.
Too simple to be satisfying, and not thematically deep enough to be interesting
Comforting colors, excellent sound design, and simple gameplay make Entwined a lovely and fleeting experience.
Entwined is just far more satisfying to look at or listen to than it is to actually play.
Even at less than two hours of playtime, I can't complain when it costs more to go to a movie. In that way, Entwined feels like Journey and that's high praise for upstart developer Pixelopus.
Pixelopus has nailed the audio and visual aspects of poetic game making. Now they just need to work on what players do...and what it all means.
It's a fun little game with some gorgeous visual and musical style, but it fails to evoke the emotional core that similar games like Journey and Flower were able to. The challenging gameplay and the musical score may be enough for some players, but those in search of more depth will need to look elsewhere.
It blessed me with the warm peace of creating a connection between two very unlike entities and seeing their glorious union fly higher than either could on their own. The message is brief but everlasting.
Entwined is right on the cusp of being a masterpiece. A gorgeous art style is complemented by an exquisite soundtrack and tight controls, which culminates in one of the best PS4 titles to date. The game's occasional lack of identity prevents it from receiving the very top marks, but don't let that put you off this romantic release.
At only two hours in length, Entwined could have been a short but sweet action rhythm game, but a number of small issues add up to big problems.
While its skin-deep qualities suggest something artistic and maybe a little philosophical, this middling arcade game packs not enough wallop to be worth more than a bit of a shrug. While not awful, it's certainly not intriguing enough to maintain interest even in spite of a brief running time.
Entwined is a beautiful game with stunning visuals and some lovely music. It has the guts to embrace big themes and some will find it a surprisingly emotional experience. All the same, it doesn't quite have the perfect flow of the synaesthasia games that came before it, and it can be hugely frustrating in its later levels, particularly if you struggle with synchronising two activities at once. Still, at the price it's well worth trying, whether you end up loving it or not.
A psychedelic art-style, a minimalistic yet evocative story, and an emotional soundtrack all make for a great way to spend an hour as you bring together the loving souls of a bird and a fish.
Entwined spins a single passable mechanic into an overlong (but still quite short) experience with absolutely none of the emotional heft or art-game cred it feigns having.
Entwined is wonderful game that, while only nine levels long, runs deep with longing, loss, and love.
So, if you really love this type of game (tunnel/artistic), you may enjoy Entwined. But I ended up hating the mechanics, and that ruined the experience for me. The emotions didn't come through, and the colorful visuals didn't make up for it. I've played much better, simple, artistic games than this. The cinematic trailer and the actual game don't quite match each other. It feels more like a game demo meant to showcase the PS4 and Sony's support of indie developers. There are good aspects to Entwined, but being a frustrating, arcadey, tunnel game completely overshadowed any kind of art and emotion I was meant to feel, and that was the biggest let down of all.
If you are looking for a game to unwind with for a couple of hours, Entwined is worth your time. But if you are looking for challenge or something deeper, you would do best elsewhere.
Entwined will put your brain to work and force you to think with both hands at the same time. It will challenge you to do better and keep you going, while at the same time relaxing your senses. It's not perfect, but it's engaging enough to warrant the time, money and effort.