Supraland Six Inches Under returns players to the whimsical world of Supraland in a brand new adventure. Newcomers worry not: while the game does take place shortly after the events of Supraland, this is a separate adventure with a new protagonist, so you won’t be coming in halfway through a story.
Literally set in a kid’s sandbox populated with ‘supra-doh’ figures, the lives of the red and blue people are turned upside down with the coming of the Rake, sweeping away their village and sending them deep into the depths of the sandbox. From this disastrous beginning, the player has to navigate the surprisingly large depths of the sandbox in order to find the rest of the village, and return them to the surface.
If you’ve played Supraland already, then you know what you’re in for: head-scratching-yet-intuitive-puzzles, tons of exploration and secrets, and the occasional bit of low-stress combat. Puzzles and exploration make up the vast bulk of the gameplay, and these really are top-notch. Puzzles, these are a real mix of using your character’s abilities (which grow throughout the game), observation skills, lateral thinking, and the environment. This could involve changing the colour of a particular item to activate colour-sensitive pressure pads, figuring out how to heat a ball bearing to yellow heat and use it to burn through a cardboard barrier that’s blocking your way, or even just figuring out how to evict a character who’s hogging the shower so you can wash off the stinky water you’ve just had to paddle through. In a nice touch, the game will tell you if you have everything you need to solve the more complicated puzzles, helping you stick at it whilst giving nothing away. Also, once you’ve figured out the solution (or solutions as the case may be), it always makes sense. The only one which really stumped me was due to me forgetting that the force-beam (a handy device for creating links between wooden structures) could also conduct electricity.
A large part of solving any of the puzzles is, of course, observation of the environment. The environments, gorgeously rendered in bright colours and constructed out of bric-a-brac and toys, are a delight to explore. There’s the gold-rich caverns for players to go spelunking in with their trusty pickaxe, the multi-tiered settlement of Cagetown, nestled in an abandoned bird’s cage. There’s the banking sector (which has the jail next door, because banking’s daylight robbery). These are just a few of the huge environments players get to explore, and explore you will. Just like the first game, there’s a wealth of coins and upgrades for the player to locate, and secrets. Lots of secrets. Sometimes, these can be found simply be seeing just if something is possible – such as scaling the huge pipes that can be found on the maps (hint: it is possible). Most of the time, however, these are tucked away in corners, crevices or behind buildings. Basically, if it looks slightly off the beaten path, and you think you can get there, there’s nearly always some goody waiting for you. And for those who love exploring, there’s a surprising amount of new environments, puzzles and trophies that become accessible after you’ve completed the main game. All of this is wrapped up in Supraland’s mix of whimsy, humour, and game-references (from Mario to Minecraft, and even Where’s Wally).
Just as polished and enjoyable as the first game, Supraland Six Inches Under is an absolute delight to play. With it’s bright and colourful presentation, whimsical world, and excellent puzzles, this is a game-world that’s fun to play and explore, and a game that I’m happy to recommend to anyone. ■