Teleglitch: Die More Edition

Author: Lorenzo Baldo

Date: 2020-07-30 20:00:06

The first impact with Teleglitch: Die More Edition is unsettling, especially for those who, for personal reasons, have not lived the era of the first operating systems, difficult, spartan and without any graphic interface. The game, regardless of modernity, catapults some screens of white text on a blue background on the screen, composing the logo of developer and producer through the union of different characters, in full respect of the canons of ASCII art, an expressive form in which the images they are processed through the precise placement of letters, numbers and symbols. Here, however, the nostalgic amarcord ends and progressively the game exhibits a gloomy soul, at times even sadistic, keeping what the little reassuring name promises: a spiral of painful virtual reincarnation, in which perseverance is the only crowbar in able to unhinge the gate valve of the nightmare.

Genetic mutations and zombies in mobile decomposition are what remains of an orbital station, a place of research located in an unspecified corner of the cosmos, hopefully as far as possible from Earth's orbit. Such devastation is the result, rather predictable, of a series of unscrupulous experiments conducted on plants and animals, laboratory abuses to which is added the opening of a dimensional portal, a channel of communication with a dark and frightening world. From this unknown land emerges a barren nothing, a sizzling black sea that swallows and devours everything, reducing steel and meat to a mash of molecules. Armed initially with a single revolver, moreover accompanied by a pair of magazines, a soldier tries to escape death, aware of a threat that gradually stands out against all humanity. All too fragile, this tale is reconstructed by means of the many documents scattered along the path to salvation, fragments of truth hidden mostly in printed computer and video terminal cards: the narration in the end turns out to be a pleasant but impromptu appendix, intended to quickly disappear without a trace.

Situations like this are the norm, which it is best to get used to as soon as possible.

As far as it fully falls into the category, attaching to Teleglitch: Die More Edition the only top-view shooter label is even diminishing, so you risk not doing full justice to a title capable of merging muscle action with typical tension of the best survival horror. The protagonist's walk, a continuous drumming that breaks the cumbersome silence, is punctually interrupted by screeching screams, the last form of expression left to the dead, hidden in the shadows waiting for a lavish banquet. The watertight compartments open producing a metallic sound, while oblivion, devouring everything, croaks furiously. Wandering in the maze of deep space reveals a particular experience, heartbreaking and unnerving, but without negative connotations. It's not masochism, but once you understand the rules behind Teleglitch: Die More Edition, you face the proposed challenge, at times improbable, chest out, regardless of the cruelties. And aware that the slightest error of assessment, even insignificant, could destroy the result of so much effort, condemning the avatar to start the adventure from the beginning. Memento mori: and mo 'me it.

If the narrow spaces cause you anxiety, perhaps all this is not for you.

Alongside the threat posed by what is more dead than alive, Teleglitch: Die More Edition plays with fate and fate, proposing a challenge destined to be cyclically renewed: not only the plan of the levels changes between one round and the next, but also the objects present inside them and the threats placed there are scrambled from time to time, giving rise to completely unpredictable situations. With the sound of defeats a certain experience is gained, one learns to vaticinate any dangers and elaborate daring countermeasures, at times extreme. A device placed like a trap, bait for a host of bloodthirsty monsters, could explode in the hands of the unwary strategist, reducing it to shreds and condemning him to a horrendous end. Still, if the ambush proves effective, the resulting ammunition savings could have some bearing on the economy of the dangerous shipment. Each choice has a precise repercussion, an action has a direct consequence: at the same time immobility and the inability to adapt to different situations turns out to be a highway towards defeat. Flexibility, combined with mouse speed in hand, is the key to survival.

A portal: moment of refreshment before the nightmare continues.

Many tools found inside the space station fit together like the pieces of a puzzle, giving rise to new offensive tools: a box of nails fits perfectly with a stick of dynamite, creating a fearsome weapon, while the fusion between a revolver and a sawed-off shotgun certainly reduces the range of the latter, but significantly increases its short-range firepower. Teleglitch: Die More Edition accurately tracks the result of each experiment, indicating the strengths and weaknesses of each combination in the database, thus creating a manual to refer to when necessary. This playful element, which can be summed up with the English-speaking term "crafting", adds further depth to a truly fascinating game structure, commendable from all points of view.

Getting in tune with a title so intense, difficult, so extreme because it is not inclined to compromise, is not at all simple, this is undeniable. There are many sharp edges, which seem to be placed precisely for the sole purpose of injuring the unwary user, trying to bend his resistance: it takes determination, obstinacy and a lot of stubbornness. If you recognize yourself in these virtues, Teleglitch: Die More Edition will prove to be a more unique experience than rare, able to give hours of fun and chills down your back, especially the latter which with the summer heat does not harm of course.

Lorenzo Baldo keeps anger at bay with meditation. Or at least that's what he tells others ...