You must juggle housekeeping, zombie hordes, family dinners, and radioactive squirrels in this action-packed, puzzle-filled adventure! Oh, and you must prevent the end of the world without anyone discovering that it was your responsibility.
Mayhem in Single Valley is an action-puzzler with a retro theme that generally strikes all the right notes. Obviously, this is not the best method to begin a review, but please bear with me.
Mayhem in Single Valley, developed by Fluxscopic Ltd and published by tinyBuild, is so close to being a flawless game. Big words, I concur. Then, let’s see what I’m talking about.
You perform as Jack, a child; in other words, a typical child. Oh, and he has just initiated the end of the world. Yikes.
While solving puzzles and averting zombie enemies, Jack must save the town and return home in time for dinner. Each stage, from the backyard gardens to the forest area and even the school, is a delight to investigate thanks to the game’s Metroidvania-like qualities. I say it is modest because the emphasis is on puzzles rather than the typical backtracking found in games of this genre.
Here, the developers have created a truly tongue-in-cheek adventure game with some excellent puzzles. During my time with the game, I have encountered hardly any visual glitches (uncommon for a modern game) and each stage is accompanied by a fittingly atmospheric soundtrack. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we must discuss Jack.
Jack is not an action hero, but I believe that could be changed in a sequel. Occasionally, it was satisfying to outsmart an adversary by luring it into a trap after determining its requirements. However, the ability to engage the creatures more frequently would have added a new dimension to the game and possibly prevented so many fatalities.
Mayhem in Single Valley is the action-puzzler equivalent of Dark Souls. No, I jest; it’s not quite that difficult, but it can be exasperating to be surrounded by enemies in an area where you desperately need an item. In general, traveling is quite enjoyable, at least after Jack masters escape rolling and becomes temporarily invulnerable. The umbrella allows you to fly across gaps, which I initially found difficult, but the controls are flawless.
Speaking of exploration, there are numerous collectibles to discover in the globe. Discovering cassette recordings along the way adds more music to choose from while traversing the retro world filled with puzzles. The music and sound effects are also reminiscent of the 1980s, with eerie chiptune beats that serve to firmly establish Jack and his world in a retro-feeling apocalypse.
As you make your way through the catastrophe, you must also rescue bizarre clones of Jack who are in various perilous situations. Finding these Jack clones enables you to upgrade the real Jack, and I would recommend prioritizing upgrades to your carry capacity and movement speed, as traversal is slow and your inventory is limited. Finding these clone men scattered about was a highlight and occasionally made me chuckle, particularly when I discovered where they had become trapped.
Watch Trailer “Mayhem in Single Valley Action Adventure & Indie Game” on YouTube below:
Mayhem in Single Valley features some of my favorite illustrations to date, continuing the retro aesthetic established by the soundtrack. People, you heard me correctly: to date. An experience with a wonderful pixelated aesthetic that brings back neglected memories of classics from the past. Specifically, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening came to mind as a game from which the developers undoubtedly drew inspiration.
Link’s Awakening, a certified Game Boy classic, had you navigating from screen to screen in a manner similar to Mayhem in Single Valley. Each screen contained secrets, foes, and puzzles to solve, and Mayhem in Single Valley brings back memories of attempting to play my Game Boy in the dark (almost impossible without a backlight) during car rides home.
Although some of the puzzles may initially seem insurmountable, if you take a break and return, you’ll experience that euphoric moment of figuring out what must be done; it’s incredibly satisfying and makes you want to give it one more try before bed. However, once it clicks, things tend to move very rapidly, and thus the major critique begins.
Mayhem in Single Valley is a brief novel that can be read in a few hours. While this style is ideal for mobile gaming, when I sit down in front of my Xbox to play a decent game, I want meat, vegetables, potatoes, and more. I’d venture to say that being left wanting more is not necessarily a negative thing, and collecting everything on each level will add to the completion time, but I’m a little deflated by Mayhem in Single Valley’s abrupt conclusion.
Mayhem in Single Valley is a game for lovers of retro games and those who were alive during the 8-bit and 16-bit eras. Imagine a world where instead of pushing photorealism from the beginning of 3D console graphics, developers refined pixelated designs and chiptune rhythms. In such a universe, Mayhem in Single Valley would become a legitimate system vendor.
I adored my (short) time with Mayhem in Single Valley and would eagerly purchase a (hopefully) lengthier sequel.
Mayhem in Single Valley: You must juggle housekeeping, zombie hordes, family dinners, and radioactive squirrels in this action-packed, puzzle-filled adventure! Oh, and you must prevent the end of the world without anyone discovering that it was your responsibility. – kendajaya