Pro|me|na|de, the – a specially designed, wide, well-maintained walking path. Here the journey is the proverbial destination. You don't go from A to B; there is a stroll. See and be seen, discover and experience. Structure and planning, the usual companions of everyday life, give way to a short-term form of letting go. Distraction, escapism, escape, entertainment – whatever the aim of aimless striving is, promenade is a possible way to get there.
Off and on
Promenade is exactly the game you think you can see in the screenshots. A cheerful jump-and-run that seems to have come straight from the watercolor paint box. Heart life bar, cute enemy animals that each patrol one square meter of the beautifully drawn game world, and of course platforms en masse in single and double jump cycles. You just have to snuggle up in this (pixel) feel-good blanket with a built-in rainbow.
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The game begins with an absolute counterpoint in the form of a deep fall into absolute nothingness. The nameless and androgynous protagonist (a great trick that allows individual and diverse interpretation of the character, which the fanart gallery proves) rushes almost endlessly into the dark depths of a gorge until it finally breaks through the surface of a lake and sinks towards the apparent end. However, in the form of a sweet purple jellyfish, rescue, friendship and color come into the game. From here on things literally go up, because the game's simple but efficient metaphor is an elevator towards the surface. It's too bad that this all needs to be repaired so quickly.
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| The well-known laws of (genre) physics are at work; in the picture the chicken buoyancy. |
Just one more gear
The initial characterization of Promenade as a candy jumper hits the nail on the head in terms of core mechanics, but ignores large parts of the game design. The core experience of the game is not the successive completion of individual levels, but rather the exploration of a few, relatively small and thematically varied sections. In a sandbox-like manner, small challenges are distributed and hidden throughout the game world, which provide you with a gear to repair the MacGuffin. Reward elevator. Through this progression element, new sections and travel destinations are successively unlocked.
The range of tasks is similar to the color palette of the game. You defeat smaller and larger bosses, look for hidden gates, solve various puzzles and skill passages, revisit familiar locations with new skills or try out collecting tasks and races. Whether you discover something new or have the solution ready – almost every gaming session, no matter how short, has something in store for you. And that is also the appeal and challenge of the game. Here you like to immerse yourself for a few minutes (or even more), drift aimlessly and return to everyday life with a little joy. This also goes hand in hand with the low level of difficulty, which also helps with the somewhat bumpy jumping physics.
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| A puzzle in the truest sense of the word. |
Conclusion
Promenade is a colorful 2D jumper that is always good for a round. Collecting gears as a progression element comes across as a colorful and varied bouquet in terms of game design. One minute you're piloting a cute spaceship through a mini galaxy, only to be watering the beds a little later or overcoming gaping slopes thanks to the newly acquired whip mechanic. The next reward is always just a stone's throw away, as is the next gaming session. However, anyone who wants to put their skills to the test on the gamepad will be disappointed – due to the feel-good nature of the game. Everyone else can let their (gamer) soul unwind while strolling on the promenade.
- Single game for Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and PC
- 2D platforming and running
- For beginners and advanced users
- Available since February 23, 2024
- In one sentence: Colorful 2D hop for explorers and for relaxing.