In order to rank up a formвЂ™s letter grade, youвЂ™ll be tasked in completing tailor-made quests for each form hit ten baddies with X attack, poison 50 baddies with X ability, etc. Ranking up is the key to unlocking and upgrading abilities. Forms, for all intents and purposes, are their own playable characters with unique abilities and perks. Instead of focusing on a single character, you are fleshing out builds for over fifteen forms simultaneously. Nobody Saves The World is an open world action RPG with a twist. That being said, IвЂ™m currently listening to selections of GuthrieвЂ™s score while writing this review and jamming. But tracks tailored to specific themes of the various dungeons would have been a welcomed addition to keep things fresh while beating down baddies (yes, enemies are officially referred to as baddies). DonвЂ™t get me wrong, I was still bobbing my head throughout the entire ride. In the 20 hour adventure, certain pieces such as the dungeon tracks start to become a bit repetitive. While this is undoubtedly a score that will be played on repeat for years to come, my one critique lies in the lack of moment-to-moment variety while actively playing the game. The entire score is filled with attitude and angst that only helps drive the adventure forward with style. The contradiction of clean synths and midi orchestral swells with low-end leaning dirty guitars and grungy acoustic drums gel in an unexpected fashion. The synthwave-meets-retro bit-meets-garage overdriven rock is a mashup I never knew I desired so desperately. IвЂ™d be remiss to not touch on Jim GuthrieвЂ™s fantastic score. Simplicity paired with the vibrant aesthetic completely shines over and over again. Using Nobody as an example once again, slight reactionary shifts in their abyss-filled eyes fleshes out the character wholeheartedly through these interactions. Utilizing the larger real estate and subtle-yet-expressive animations to coincide with dialog gives the characters that much more personality. The main cast in particular is given a brighter spotlight with dialog exchanges in the form of full-screen art similar to many JRPGs. A personal favorite is the aforementioned anthropomorphic crisis-riddled hammer. No matter the visual timbre - enchanting, humorous, sinister, or eerie - meeting a new face was always met with a smile. The character design is extravagant, giving off an impression that characters were pulled right out of a storybook or a childвЂ™s imagination. Similar to the narrative, the art direction is brought to blissful life thanks to the worldвЂ™s inhabitants. Even when the game touches on overused video game settings, the Drinkbox charm makes for unique and memorable environments. I donвЂ™t want to spoil any of the areas here, but I was thrilled to see Drinkbox subvert the trope of having a map only sectioned off by cliche areas such as by-the-numbers forests, deserts, or wetlands. With a grid-like map system akin to the original Legend of Zelda, each new area came with an amusing surprise when traversing screen to screen. Various biomes scattered throughout the map kept exploration fresh. Thankfully, that concern never came to fruition. With such a large map, there was a concern the visuals may lose their flair or would become a bit stale. As briefly mentioned earlier, it truly feels as if you are playing a Saturday morning cartoon. The game aesthetically exaggerates pure vibrancy with a bold and defined color profile. The tone of Nobody Saves The World pairs excellently with DrinkboxвЂ™s signature style. That says a lot for a playable cartoon where you can have a heartfelt conversation with an anthropomorphic hammer as an egg that can breathe fire, blow bubbles, and summon a demon minion. With thoughtful characters comes this vast, fantastical open world that feels believable and lived in more-so than many big budget titles. Little dialog, subtle actions, and surrounding moments deliver a hero with a surprising amount of depth. A prime example of accomplished development is through our protagonist, a husk of character who appears to be lifted from an untouched prototype of an empty coloring book. The same logic applies to the side quest crew and completely missable NPCs with fantastic one-liners. Everyone is treated with such care and consideration to create the sense of a living being with heart. Whether itвЂ™s an antagonistic apprentice desperate for his masterвЂ™s approval or a mummy with literally no dialog aside from incomprehensive murmurs, despite their motives or intentions, falling in love with the gameвЂ™s characters is naturally effortless. Every character has their own unique, carefully developed voice in brilliant fashion. But with Nobody Saves The World, the dial is cranked up to eleven. For those familiar with DrinkboxвЂ™s previous work, this should come at no surprise.

Where the writing and narrative truly radiates is within the gameвЂ™s bevy of imaginative characters.

Nobody saves the world review