http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg4wQzSG5iA

True to most 2D platfomer conventions the plot is quite simplistic. The player controls Giana as she searches for her sister Maria who has been kidnapped in the Dream World by a dragon. This provides the simple impetus for Giana's journey through The Dream World which she has the ability to manipulate shifting her persona between a cute girly girl that inhabits a halloween inspire iteration of the dream world and an edgier punk chick who traverses a variation of the Dream world that is more colorful and cheery. Giana's personas also have different special abilities. The cutesy Giana has a graceful twil jump that allows her to glide through the air over extended distances while the punk Giana can launch herself forward as a fireball. Swapping between these personas and mixing up moves to traverse the environment in integral to surviving Giana. The persona shifting in Giana Twisted Sisters is similar to the time shifting mechanic in Sonic CD except that it can be performed on the fly and you are in no way limited to how often or how many times you can shift.

Black Forest Games does a commendable job making the most of this gameplay mechanic. The shifting mechanic also adds a puzzle element to the game. Figuring out which sisters maneuvers will allow you to best proceed through an area is the central puzzle theme. It's fast paced and never leaves you scratching your head for long but keeps you mentally engaged with your surroundings. Platforms will apprear in one dimension that don't appear in another, platforms move in a certain direction with one persona while moving in another with the opposite persona, enemies change completely requiring one persona to defeat the enemy while the other can use the defeated enemy as a traversal tool... There is almost always something new in Giana Sisters

While Giana Sisters starts as a cakewalk the difficulty ramps up quickly as you are required to shift dozens of times to complete small stretches of levels. Some areas require you to cacoon yourself in bubble gun and float through razor sharp crystals, others require you to run through a gauntlet of obstacles while being chased by a wall of fire. Boxes can be pushed to create raised platforms and some levels have a more open design that require Giana to collect several keys in an undetermined order to open a passageway to a new area. These challenges are remixed and recycled into devilish combinations late in the game.

It's backdrops are colorful and layered with detail. The juxtaposition between the dimensions is natural and entirely seemless. It is easy to spend time shifting between dimensions in some areas just to see how objects in one dimension are translated in the other dimension. Large hollowed out tree trunks in the cheery dimension become massive reptilian skulls, wells become rotted tree stumps, owls become horned demons... Texture resolutions are high and effects for things like water are far from generic with cloudy patches and bubbles. It is unfortunate that most of the same elements are reused for much of the game. Assests from the first level are found in great abundance in later stages and while I appreciate a 2D platformer that doesn't fall into fire, ice and desert level cliches, a greater degree of variety would have been appreciated.

While perhaps one of the most obscure franchises to be resuscitated in recent memory Giana Sisters proves itself to be a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. It's colorful, challenging, and makes excellent use of a handful of mechanics. It is perhaps the best mix of platforming puzzles and reflex based gameplay on the market. While the limited soundtrack and small pool of art assets can make the last portion of the game a little less invigorating than the first, it does little to take away from the excellent gameplay. If you have conquered Donkey Kong and saved princess Peach a dozen times from the clutches of Bowser than it's time you considered shifting through Dream Land as teenage hero Giana.

For a game billing itself as a retro platformer, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams almost seems to go out of its way to break the mold that has formed out of such a rapidly populating genre. Shunning away from its restrictively minimalistic, outrageously challenging and graphically simplistic peers, it preserves and refines the classic platformer gameplay while giving it a modern face life. Giana Sisters is one of the most visually impressive games the genre has ever seen, but it's when you combined its looks with how well it plays that it becomes something really special.

Although I wouldn't call minimalistic, Giana Sisters is certainly a pure platformer. The difference between the two which I feel is important to define, is that the former is intentionally designed to be basic to the largest degree possible, while the later takes the fundamental gameplay of the genre and doesn't add extra systems or mechanics because it doesn't need to to be fun. This is one of Giana Sisters biggest strengths and one of the reason it feels like a classic platformer from the 8 and 16-bit days but with all the benefits of current technology, and not simply a game designed to emulate the era.

The one additional mechanic to the typical running, jumping and dodging of any platformer is the world switching of the two sisters. With the press of a button you can shift between them, going from the lighthearted and colorful environment of the first to the hellish nightmare of the second. Both the music and graphics drastically change between the two, an effect that is incredibly cool to witness, but alternating between worlds also plays into the gameplay with certain platformers and machines only appearing and functioning in one or the other, as well as certain objects reversing direction or their entire physical property. It sounds more complicated than it actually is and takes only moments to grasp when you see it in action, but is used intelligently in conjuncture with the other obstacles in the game to test your skills and reflexes without resulting to cheap level designs or traps.

I should probably point out that yes, this is a very difficult game, but it isn't that way right from the start. The challenge is a gradual slope and it wasn't until the last handful of levels that I felt it was seriously demanding. Checkpoints are plentiful and there is no penalty when you die, both of which make this a rather accessible game even for those usually scared off from supposedly "hardcore" platformers. If it proves too easy there are several additional difficulty levels some of which are quite frankly ridiculously brutal in design, and conversely if you find you can't handle the normal levels an easy mode has since been patched in for those that want to enjoy the game without risking an aneurysm.

If there is one thing that sets Giana Sisters apart from everything else though, it would be the astounding presentation. The graphics are stunning, with textures bursting with detail and color, and impressive water and lighting effects complimenting the great ascetic design (which is even more impressive when you consider there are technically two renditions of object, enemy and environment in the game, one for each of the sisters' worlds). Animations are immaculate, especially the transitions when you swap sisters and have the world transform around you. The soundtrack jointly composed by Chris Hülsbeck and Swedish metal band Machinae Supremacy, each playing their own arrangement of the same track, is simply amazing and like everything else switches seamlessly as you swap sisters, creating a very memorable and original sound that is worth the price of admission by itself.

The only thing Giana Sisters manages to falter with is variety. While I enjoyed everything about the game it didn't take very long before I felt like I was running in place, replaying the same level with a few minor tweaks that were hardly noticeable in the grand scheme of things. You are essentially dodging the same enemies and traps the entire game, with only the exact placement of them changing slightly from level to level. This problem is extrapolated by each level taking anywhere from 10-15 minutes to complete, a length that begins to drag after a point and had me wishing for more numerous but shorter levels that I could better apportion for prolongation consumption.

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is perhaps the best example yet that the classic platformer is not dead but merely neglected and misunderstood. Although it doesn't hold up well for extended play, for bite sized sessions it is still a great deal of fun. The soundtrack is marvelous (and I don't even like metal traditionally) and everything polished to a degree that sets a new standard for indie developers. If my overly enthusiastic hyperbole hasn't convinced you that this is worth your time I'm not sure what will, but just know that you'll be missing out on a great game if you decide to pass this up.

Buy it, play it, love it; you can thank me later.

You can read more of my writing on Kritiqal[kritiqal.com].

The Good:
+Great Graphics and Atmosphere
+Great platforming elements, the main gameplay revolves around you "switching" worlds on the fly to collect gems and reach new platforms to progress through the level.
+Good level of difficulty that ramps up nicely and provides a nice level of challenge
+Lots of modes for replayability ie. score attack, time attack, hardcore mode

The Bad:
- Can get frustrating at times



This is one of the best platforming games I have played in recent memory. This is definitely a good game and one worth checking out.

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a platforming game where you play as a pair of characters that can switch on the fly, changing the environment, the enemies, and in a lot of parts, the available collectible crystals. Crystal collecting and switching are at the core of this game, and not much else.

Don't expect much of a story. I'll be honest, I found none myself, so this is really just pure game. The problem is that the game it is isn't very good.

Navigate levels by jumping and either spinning, which turns the character into a kind of cannon ball that can break walls or attack enemies; or twisting, which allows the character to descend slowly and with more control after a jump.

The levels are long and boring. These are not especially challenging, though a few will be tougher and longer. The switching mechanic adds to the challenge, but ultimately, like a lot of this game, can get tedious pretty quickly.

The challenge can also come from ropey controls. The controller support is good, I think that the problem is in the design. The directional pad or analogue sticks give the same responsiveness. The characters have a loose feeling to how they move, so things can feel a little imprecise. For a game that depends on tight controls and quick action it can become very frustrating very fast.

The camera tracking isn't great either, in spots showing little enough to navigate a jump or see an enemy you might unintentionally run into. Panning and tracking can be too iffy, and some of the deaths I encountered came from camera mischief.

Dying in this game isn't strictly punished, though the scoring system is affected. The Scoring in this game is very strange, and in order to unlock further levels you will need to score stars. Stars are scored by finishing levels with a lot of crystals and few deaths. There are a LOT of crystals, and the more deaths you have the lower your stars will be by the end of the stage.

This is where the game shows its greatest weakness. As a platformer it is mediocre, tedious, and the pace is grueling. Finishing a stage takes patience, not only with the camera and controls, but with the boredom.

Visually the graphics are okay, but not great. Colors really pop, but the overall aesthetic is pretty ho-hum. Music tracks loop and after a while became pretty annoying. It isn't bad, but in a level that runs for over 7 minutes, and a lot of gem collecting, it can get really old.

Pros:

• Visually colorful
  
• Moderate challenge
  

Cons:

• Repetitive levels
  
• Bland design
  
• Floaty controls
  
• Boring

Save your money, there's better out there.

Giana Sisters is a platformer where you play as two sisters. Each sister has a special ability (fireball and twirl) that you have to use to make your way through levels. You will find checkpoints along the way that you will return to after dying, which you will do a lot. There's plenty of secret areas to find and lots of little crystals to collect, though their only purpose is to determine how many stars you are rewarded for completing the level (the purpose of which is to unlock the boss levels and if you score high enough on every level, hardcore mode. Good luck with that.)

This game has a wonderful aesthetic. When you switch characters, the world around to morphs to match the personality of the sister you are currently controlling and the music changes with it. The music is really well done and switches seamlessly between styles. Unfortunately that's really the only good thing about the game.

Giana Sisters starts out fun and fresh introducing you to the world. You'll quickly discover the controls leave something to be desired, especially the fireball which has a habit of rocketing you towards an enemy just slightly out of range, then ending one pixel before hitting it so you instantly die. Puzzles rapidly become more complex and deathtraps start appearing everywhere while the checkpoints get further apart and before you know it the game has become a trial-and-error exercise in frustration. I stopped enjoying the game about halfway through but I slogged through the rest to see if it got any better. It didn't.

I find it hard to recommend this game since there's a lot of better platformers out there that aren't nearly as frustrating.

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a very well done remake, with some modern gameplay dynamics that will appeal the player. It's frenetic, it's hard, it's indie and it's a good platform game!

One of those rare gems coming thru Greenlit.

Giana Sister is an impressive and beautiful platformer that's unforgiving. The level designs are sharp, colorful and brilliantly rendered. If I were to make a comparison, this is hand to hand with Trine series.

The essence of precision platformer is here, you make mistakes - you die as you only have limited lives. There's no need to use weapons, you only need to jump to pawn or evade the incoming attacks. More often than not you need to swap to your twisted reality, either to proceed or to get around enemies. Throughout the levels you'd required to collect the gems that influence your ratings in that particular level. Collecting gems, however, is not necessary to win - it's just a bonus challenge. At the end of the every world levels, there are a boss waiting. Bosses usually a challenge in a platformer, and in Giana they're indeed a challenge. Bosses have an attack patterns, that sometimes agonizingly require precise timing to evade yet necessary to win. I can't count how many I have to restart just in the first boss stage.

That said, the difficulty as a whole had been a subject of discussion since seemingly many players only want to win the game in a reasonable time. The Developers listened and added an easy mode to address the issue - hence the easy mode.

The game contains other mode than normal campaign. You can play to beat your own score (Time Attack mode), to Uber Hardcore that every time you die, you return to level one (how hardcore can you be?). A very good added value in my opinion.

Finally, as a platformer, people prefer to play with gamepad. Game supports even dinput - it recognizes my Rumblepad 2 and assigns the buttons without problem. Good stuff.

Now for the recommendation.... the game appears to be on sale quite often. 50% is a VERY good value, even at full price. 75% off is a steal, more than that... uber mega steal?

9/10 score.

Giana Sisters has a fantastic graphic and musical style. Sadly, the gameplay is some of the most frustrating, rage inducing I've had the misfortune to experience. This is due to the controls not being responsive enough for the kind of pixel perfect jumps and split second timed trap sequences that fill each level. Or at least, not with a keyboard. For example, the number of times I was holding two arrow keys to dash diagonally, only to go straight up into an instant death trap. Also not helped by the save system. Its no good having checkpoints every 2 minutes, if you still have to start a level from the beginning if you decide to (rage)quit the game entirely. This forces you to press on through building frustration. And its especially painful on the ridiculously insane boss fights, which come at the end of a 30 minute level. I've given up after 90 minutes trying to kill the end boss. I've got some pretty hard achievements in other games, but this is one that beat me :(

I really want to like this game and it does many things really right. Unfortunately most of it is easily destroyed by it's difficulty. And it's not that game is too hard. Rather it leaves way to little room for error, while at the same time making it very easy to make really small, stupid mistakes. This is one of those games that make dying really annoying.

Also I must add that one of the reasons why I bought this game is that we were promised Linux version in 2015. We didn't get it to this day.

I will probably play some more, but with large breaks between plays.

Good game!