Horace Reviews
An inventive platformer with an unforgettable sense of style and wit.
A labour of love that pays brilliantly inventive tribute to the platform genre and the 8 and 16-bit eras in general.
Horace is essential for fans of retro games or hard platformers and a real contender for Indie Game of the Year.
Horace is a piece of art: music, story, ideas and design of the robot are gorgeus, even if gameplay and controls lack in polishness and the entire experience is a bit too long. Be read to shed tears for Horace. It'll be worth it, expecially in this Nintendo Switch version.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A genre shifting game packed full of charm and references, Horace is a robotic adventure that must be experienced to be believed.
Horace is an incredible game that is packed to the brim with content and character. Although it’s steeped in nostalgia, it can hold its head high on its own merit as a great platform adventure title. With tight controls, varied gameplay, and a fantastic script, those who didn’t get to experience Horace before should definitely check it out on the Switch.
Horace is a charming homage to an era of gaming and culture that’s rapidly fading into the sunset, yet it never rests of the nostalgia factor to keep the player engaged.
These drawbacks aside, I can heartily recommend Horace to action-adventure lovers. You'll chuckle and shed a tear throughout your playtime while learning the techniques necessary to conquer the gravity manipulation-heavy platform sections. If you're an old soul like me, you'll also appreciate the many references to old-school gaming. Give this genre-defying title a chance if you want to experience something old and new at the same time.
Horace is something very special — the only vaguely negative thing we can say about it is the fact that there are so many spectacularly brilliant indie games on Switch already vying for your attention that we fear Horace may fall somewhat by the wayside. If you have any interest in superb level design, excellent storytelling, terrific art, evocative music, great characters, hilarious situations and emotional gut-punches, Horace is a no-brainer. It's moving without being manipulative, clever without being smug, and nostalgic without being a lazy rehash.
Horace is a pitch-perfect puzzle platformer that expertly balances addictive gameplay with its moving tale of a robot trying to discover himself in a world that makes no sense. It knows why we love video games, and it confirms we're right to do so.
When Horace is good, it's a touching, thrilling experience. When it's bad, it's overly frustrating and too reliant on the dreaded pop culture references.
Horace is a fun but not so forgiving tribute to video games as a medium.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Horace is a tricky one to recommend. It's certainly a good game. It's got challenge, it's got style, and it's got heart. The story takes you through a rollercoaster of a robot's life and while there's no narrative decisions to be made, becoming invested isn't hard at all. However, the mad difficulty spikes will put casual platformers off. But if they stick with it, there's a corker of a game here.
Technical difficulties aside, Horace is an endearing, nostalgic, platforming masterpiece. Even after having to start fresh at one point, I could not wait to jump right back in and play more.
Maybe it's the throwback design influences that are slightly too far outside of this reviewer's reach to appreciate and retro fans that remember playing the ZX spectrum will find a lot more to get out in this title. The desire is strong to get on with Horace, it really is, and he might even make you laugh at times, but just like the guy wearing socks and sandals, there are too many things holding it back.
In the end, Horace is an engaging experience if you're patient or don't get riled up easily.
While Horace himself might not be the most emotionally intelligent protagonist, the same cannot be said for his namesake game.
Horace is an odd title in that much like the title character robot of the same name it is quite unassuming and humble but there’s so much more to it...
Horace is a difficult 12-15 hour experience. The platforming and Metroidvania components are incredible. They’re continually obstructed by backtracking and difficult circumstances that could’ve been tended to with little upgrades. Horace is an indie game that will test gamers’ skills and a story loaded with heart-touching minutes.
All in all, I can’t help but rave about Horace. While it’s challenging and may prove troublesome for those not comfortable with their platforming skills, it nevertheless features a ton of content and an engaging story. And while I was frustrated by some of the glitches and occasionally lackluster design, this is still a game I would highly recommend, especially for fans of older games and indies.