Wenjia from Indienova is a colorful hand-drawn 2D puzzle platformer in which you travel between two realms. Learn more about this gem in our Wenjia review!
In Wenjia from Indienova, you will take control of a white cat who sets out on an adventure to save the bunnies of the realm after a dark and crooked creature captures them. The game’s story will be told by way of full voice-acted cutscenes that will let you know more about the world of Wenjia, why the dark creature has attacked, and why it’s up to you to save everyone before it’s too late. You will also get additional info as you progress through the game and reach the different checkpoints in each section.
The controls are simple and to the point, which is great since they will allow you to focus on the puzzle-platforming action, and on the gorgeous hand-drawn art for the game’s locations and characters. You’ll move with the left analog stick or the D-Pad, jumping with the A button, and eventually double jumping once you unlock that ability. To change between the Matter Realm and the Energy Realm, all you’ll have to do is press the L button, and you’re set!
Each world will have different obstacles and hazards for you to overcome, and the game will ease you into this gameplay mechanic during the initial section. You’ll have to avoid giant rolling rocks, deadly sharp thorns, poisonous spiders hanging from their webs or walking around the floor, overgrown plants that will shoot large seeds that can crush you, bottomless pits, and even water – remember, you’re controlling a cat. Are you up for the challenge?
To go along with running and jumping, as well as switching between the Matter Realm and the Energy Realm, you will run into other things that will help you along the way. These include, for instance, glowing spheres that will teleport you from point A to point B when you touch them, platforms you can bounce from – and if you hold down the A button, you can increase said bounce’s height -, powerful gusts of wind, switches that will open doors, or the aforementioned checkpoints that will save your progress in case you mess up and make a mistake. There will also be some collectibles to obtain that are a bit tricky to grab due to their placement, but I’m sure you’ll be able to find the solution to each of their mini-puzzles!
At the end of each stage, you’ll get to know how long it took to complete all of that level, how many of the collectible energy spheres you managed to obtain, and what your overall grade is for that level. This information will prove to be valuable for speedrunners and players who like to 100% a game so that they can know what they missed during their first run, or where they can find some faster paths to take to shave off some valuable seconds here and there from their overall playing time. You can finish the game and then go back to search for any missable collectibles by way of a handy chapter select, which is definitely a nice option to have.
Wenjia is a fun, charming, and great looking puzzle platformer on Nintendo Switch that should take you 3 hours or so to complete, which is the perfect length for this budget release. I had a good time playing this one, and I definitely recommend you get this indie gem on Nintendo Switch. Wenjia is out now on Nintendo’s console for a low $6.99 asking price.
Disclaimer
This Wenjia review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Indienova.
