Breadsticks Review
Official Score
Overall - 75%
75%
Breadsticks is a short but sweet platformer that will test players' reflexes and speed. There’s not much to this package, but there doesn’t have to be - there is beauty in its simplicity.
A carb-based platformer where speed is the name of the game, Cosmic Dad and the DigiPen Institute of Technology’s new title Breadsticks puts a new spin on speedrunning. Should players get this bread, or is it just empty calories?
Breadsticks Review
Taking control of an orange box with a stylish backpack, players have one laser-focused goal in mind: Get to Mr. Bear for afternoon tea. However, his house is located outside of a cave full of deadly spikes that can mean instant death. What’s a fox to do?
That’s where the player comes in. As one would expect with a game called Breadsticks, this title gives this crafty fox a number of delicious treats that can be used for platforming. At the press of a button, they shoot out, allowing for a little extra pick-me-up when there is no ground to stand on.
It’s not unlike the Cappy system found in Super Mario Odyssey, so those who played Nintendo’s adventure will know the drill here. For convenience sake, players can also quickly gather the breadsticks back to get at it once more. Later parts of the game will give players multiple breadsticks to yield, which can make for some interesting dynamics. The fox is plenty versatile himself, with a wall jump at his disposal not unlike the one from Mega Man X.
As a platformer, Breadsticks is plenty responsive. If one meets their untimely demise, it’s due to the fault of the player rather than the game. It does take a bit of time to get used to things, but the game is forgiving with multiple checkpoints. There is also only one threat to deal with – the spikes. No need to worry about any enemy foes; what you see is what you get.
Designed as a speedrunning game, this title is a bite-sized adventure. We were able to finish in around 10 minutes, but there are people on YouTube that cut that number down to three. It is most certainly designed for multiple playthroughs, allowing players to truly grasp the lay of the land and rely on their reflexes.
It’s just a shame that there is little variety between each of the different areas. Players better like caves, because that is the only motif on tap here. Gloomy dark cave environments with pastel plants certainly look nice, but a bit more variety would have been nice.
After completing the game and getting to your end goal, Breadsticks tallies up a number of factors from each players’ playthrough. These include times jumped, wall jumps performed, bread thrown, times died, and the total time. Stat nerds will have an absolute field day when it comes to each of these numbers.
Breadsticks is a short but sweet platformer that will test players’ reflexes and speed. There’s not much to this package, but there doesn’t have to be – there is beauty in its simplicity.
