Horace, the ambitious story-driven 2D platformer that Eurogamer’s Martin Robinson liked really rather a lot on its release last year, is currently free on the Epic Games Store, meaning you’ve yet another opportunity to expand your interminable gaming backlog.
Developed by Paul Helman and Sean Scapelhorn, Horace casts players as the titular hero, a small robot “learning of life, the universe and Douglas Adams”.
Horace is, at least in part, a richly inventive platformer, offering up its own unique spin on the rather well-worn Metroidvania formula. But it’s also very British love letter to video games as a whole, tipping its hat to host of classics through a slightly anarchic, and gently nostalgic array of sharply observed nods, winks, and playable pastiches.
Horace Launch Trailer – Out Now on Steam! [ESRB] Watch on YouTube
While that perhaps doesn’t sound so far removed from countless other games riffing on the wonders of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, Horace really sets itself apart through its unexpectedly cinematic narrative, one with enough warmth and character to inspire Martin to call it “one of the most winningly human games I’ve played”.