Linn: Path of Orchards is a new puzzle/platformer game that bears a striking resemblance to Monument Valley in term of visuals. Unfortunately, this ends up working against it, as Linn just simply fails to live up to the title that inspired it.
You take on the role of Aban, a guardian of nature who must embark on a journey to save the sacred tree of light. That would involve traveling through a sky temple, navigating through several platforms, overcoming obstacles, and collecting items.
Linn: Path of Orchards Launch Trailer
The tricky part is, in each level, the platforms rotate in a number of different ways, giving a degree of complexity to the game.
A challenging puzzle platformer
You will have access to all the standard moves of a platformer game, from jumping and double jumping to dashing and changing direction midair, and have to make good use of those moves to reach the end of the stage. You can also step up your game by completing several challenges along the way, such as finishing the stage in a limited number of moves or finding some special items.
In theory, Linn: Path of Orchards is a decent platformer that has enough novelty to set itself apart from other games of this genre on the mobile market. You need to really think about how to approach each stage instead of just mindlessly blitzing through everything.
However, in practice, the game is just too… clunky. When it works, it works incredibly well and is absolutely satisfying. However, more often than not, there is a mechanic you can exploit that will make every level a piece of cake.
You can pull off a variety of different moves to complete each level
The idea is, after you jump, you can do 3 different things while in the air: Executing a double jump, dashing, changing direction. When you’ve done so, you must land on the ground to reset before you can do them again. The problem here is, the detection in the game just seems off somehow. There are moments where you could reset all the moves upon hitting a wall, which basically means you have unlimited moves. This really trivializes the entire game.
This would not have been as big of an issue if you were required to achieve all three stars in a single run, but you can just take 3 separate runs, completing one objective at a time.
It is unclear whether this mechanic was intended or not. If it is indeed a bug, then it could undoubtedly be listed as a game-breaking one. The fact that controls are finicky and sometimes unresponsive doesn’t help either.
The verdict
Linn: Path of Orchards has its charms, that’s for sure. However, it is only as difficult as you want it to be, which simply negates any sense of satisfaction you might have had. It certainly has the potential for greatness, but right now, it really needs a little bit more polishing.
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