Staying Together is the perfect game for Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day is closing in and while I’m not a big fun of such celebrations, as many of you, I couldn't resist playing and falling in love with a really sweet game that was released a few days ago in celebration of Feb. 14th. You don’t have to be in love or celebrate with your significant other in order to enjoy this lovely game, and its release is probably one of the best gifts we could get. The game is called Staying Together and it is a multi-character puzzle that requires good coordination between both of your hands.
Plot
The premise is simple yet bittersweet and cute. A couple, a brown haired man with a mustache and a cute blonde woman with a red ribbon, whose names we don’t know, are separated and our role is to bring them together no matter how difficult and strange environments they end up to.
Gameplay
In Staying Together you take control of the two lovebirds at the same time in your quest to unite them. If you only pay attention to one of them then you’ll most definitely lose. The game can’t go on if one of them dies as they move together.
In order to clear a level you’ll have to plan and act carefully. Each character is in opposite directions and they are facing each other, which means that to move them to the glowing spot where they are reunited, you’ll have to choose carefully between left and right.
The environments are beautiful but confusing as well. The characters are walking in flowing parts of land from where falling means game over. But that is not the only danger, as there are spikes in the round or above the characters. The screen is separated by a thin line in the middle in order to differentiate between the left and right characters.
Apart from bringing the lovers together, which is the main goal, you can gather pieces of a heart and if you gather all pieces you get a perfect score. You will have to explore amazing, hand-crafted environments that come with obstacles, traps, and collectibles.
At this point I’d like to inform you that only the 1st chapter, “The Spring” that has 20 levels, is for free and you need to pay to unlock the rest of them. I think this is a good deal because the game gives you enough free material to decide if you like this game or not and make your choice. You are also allowed to try the 2st level of the locked chapters to have a taste of the new settings.
Controls
Controls are working great and there is no lagging or difficulty in movements. However, it is extremely hard to coordinate the two characters as they inevitably go in different directions (how else are thy supposed to meet after all, right?). This will probably get you stuck in various occasions especially as you proceed and levels get harder and harder.
Considering the only controls are moving left or right and jump, it is a bit frustrating to lose while performing those simple moves. But this is manageable with practice.
Graphics & Music
The graphics have the perfect balance of romance and cuteness. The characters are tiny and adorable while the environments give out a feeling of sad romance and calmness. The colors are very crystal clear but not very vibrant as that would ruin the game’s feeling of longing.
As for the music, it is beautiful and calming. It has sad, soft tunes and it is very pleasant to the ear. Definitely matches the whole atmosphere of Staying Together.
Conclusion
Despite its difficulty for the reasons stated above, Staying Together is a game that was made with lots of love and attention to detail. It doesn’t ask you to be a romanticist or a girl to enjoy it, it only borrows the elements of love and longing to create a sweet charming story with a great gameplay for everyone to enjoy. And since this is a romantic period, make a gift to yourselves and give it a chance.
Staying Together is available for iOS, Android and Amazon app store.
Staying Together Screenshots
