“About Love, Hate and the other ones”

A Charming Puzzle Platformer by Black Pants Studio

By Sean Perryman on December 14, 2014 at 8:11pm

While perusing Steam I came across an interesting looking puzzle game that hadn't caught my eye before. "About Love, Hate and the other ones" is a one-player puzzle platformer by Tobias Bilgeri of Black Pants Studio. The game started out life as part of his graduation from the School of Arts and Design Kassel. It was released Dec. 12 on Steam, and Nov. 20 on the Apple App Store for iOS.

"About Love, Hate and the other ones" is a story about two little black ink blob looking characters, Love and Hate. Love looks a bit round and squishy, where Hate presents as a mean looking jagged fellow. They both have their own special abilities that are linked to their heritage; Love can bring things closer while Hate pushes them away. These abilities allow you to manipulate the little guys that are placed throughout the level and help you to get to the big red button that teleports you to the next area.

The first thing I noticed about the game is how incredibly well suited to touch controls it is. All things considered, the mouse control in the game is a little bit off. I noticed quite a few times that I would click somewhere to do a particular action, and it would do another action instead. Definitely not a deal breaker, especially with the one-step-rewind button included, but it could become annoying after a while. Clicking on an open area while either Love or Hate is selected will attempt to walk them to that area. They can jump up one level, but anything more will cause them to stop. Both characters can function as a step for the other, allowing you to use both characters to work toward the end of the level.

The level design is clever and well thought out, keeping you engaged even on the levels that are meant to train you for the next mechanic. While he didn't do as thorough a job in training as "Super Meat Boy," the point is delivered nicely time after time. The game has a nice and even level progression, and introduces new mechanics all along the way. My favorite part has to be the little guys that shoot what I gather is air upward, allowing you to jump in their path and be lifted up. Each of the little creature types throughout the levels are capable of being manipulated by both Love and Hate the same, so long as they are not blocked by something.

The ambiance in the game is provided by what I can only describe as the sound of a foggy Irish moor at dawn. The sound effects are appropriate and well placed, though they have a tendency to be a little unbalanced at times, usually when you are trying to do something you shouldn't be. I've included a quick Let's Play style video for the first 20 levels, so you can get a feel for the game.

I would say that as a whole this game does an excellent job at being both challenging and entertaining, without adding in that frustration that is so common to these types of games. Though I ran into a few puzzles that I didn't immediately see the answer to (see my stream of the first 20 levels above), it usually only took a few tries to figure it out. As stated above, the rewind button is a god-send; allowing you to take back a move or two (or all of them!) if needed without having to restart the whole game. A great entry into the puzzle/platformer genre and definitely worth picking up!

Review Score: 8/10

Pros

Beautiful art style.
Innovative gameplay.
Challenging puzzles.
Haunting ambiance.

Cons

Quirky click targeting.
Annoying sound effects.