Constance is a gripping and emotional action-adventure that blends classic Metroidvania mechanics with a deep exploration of mental and emotional burnout. Set entirely in a strange “mind palace,” the game uses its core themes to shape both the world and the gameplay, creating a unique journey that is both visually captivating and challenging.
A Journey Through the Mind Palace
You play as Constance – or more precisely, her mental projection – as she journeys to the furthest reaches of her own consciousness. This mind palace, based on themes of burnout and emotional breakdown, suddenly transforms into a living and imaginative setting. Armed only with a magical paintbrush, Constance runs, kills, and battles her inner demons in a 2D world that reflects her deteriorating mental state.
The story offers some memorable emotional moments, but the meaning isn’t always clear. While the game shines in its quiet, contemplative sequences and thoughtfully designed puzzles, the story sometimes loses depth amidst its overall structure.
A Non-linear Story with Mixed Results
Constance's story is reminiscent of heartwarming moments in games like Celeste and Tales of Kengera: Zhou, but it sets itself apart through its non-linear progression. After the first boss, players can explore the beautifully crafted world in almost any direction. While this openness enriches the metroidvania experience, it makes it difficult to follow Constance's personal development or become emotionally invested in her story.
Mind Palace's characters fail to leave a lasting impression. While there are a few optional side quests, they often feel pointless - the story lacks depth and offers no real rewards. Without compelling supporting characters, Constance's own personality feels bland, making it difficult to fully immerse yourself in her journey during Burnout.
Precise Platforming and Vibrant Worlds
Gameplay relies on fluid movement - jumping, running, bouncing, and combining abilities - to overcome increasingly difficult platforming challenges. Each area of the Mind Palace is visually unique, characterized by vibrant colors and thematically appropriate enemies:
- Invisible Vaults (green): Disturbing enemies are hidden here that can stun you and make you vulnerable to acid or electricity.
- Astral Academy (blue-purple): This area is filled with teleporting wizards and aggressive flying books that attack you as you jump through the portal network.
A simple introductory chapter quickly builds to a greater difficulty level designed to push you to your limits. Failures happen frequently, but frustration rarely stems from poor game design - it often stems from your own mistakes, which makes every success feel hard-earned.
A Successful Combination of Mechanics and Theme
Two brilliant systems enrich Constance's gameplay and underline the emotional atmosphere:
1. Color Meter
Constance's abilities use "color", a resource that regenerates on solid ground. If the meter is empty, she can still use abilities, but she loses health. Mechanically and narratively, this cleverly demonstrates the consequences of excessive exertion without rest. Players are thus encouraged to solve puzzles strategically rather than mindlessly repeating them.
2. Decision-Based Resurrection
After death, you decide whether to immediately revive or return to the last checkpoint. If you respawn in the same spot, enemies become stronger and more dangerous until you rest again. This creates tension in the decision-making process, similar to real-world dilemmas: move forward under pressure or retreat and then try again?
Combat With Impact and Surprise
The combat system feels satisfying due to its strong feedback and impact. Attacks push enemies back at high speed, encouraging quick, precise strikes rather than frantic button mashing. Like splashing paint on a canvas, your accuracy improves as you unlock new abilities, expand your movement options, and discover optional challenges that reward valuable passive upgrades.
After a straightforward start, the game is divided into three main regions that you can explore in any order. Each area can be completed using the abilities available there, but exploring other areas makes the challenges behind it significantly easier - a flexible structure that rewards experimentation.
Boss Fights and a Flaw
Most of the boss fights in Constance are characterized by the need for creativity and effective use of abilities. However, the long chase sequences disrupt the flow of the game. Instead of allowing for thoughtful experimentation, they create a long, difficult flow state that the rest of the game fails to prepare for. While this is not inherently problematic, it feels frustrating in an otherwise well-designed gameplay experience.
A Beautiful World with Its Own Story
Constance is, of course, breathtaking. The hand-drawn graphics bring every corner of the mind palace to life and make each platforming section more rewarding. Despite its beauty and successful gameplay mechanics, the story lacks depth, and the character development is underdeveloped.
