Insects live around us on a daily basis, and most people never take notice of the little lifeforms running around their homes. Metamorphosis is a game that puts the player in the shoes of an insect, in one of the most surreal and engaging puzzle games of 2020.
I’m Still Here
Metamorphosis is heavily inspired by the works of Franz Kafka. The player takes on the role of a man named Gregor, who is transformed into an insect and let out into the world. Gregor’s friend is suspected of being involved with his disappearance, and he is quickly put on trial. It’s up to Gregor to navigate insect society and uncover the secrets of an organization called the Tower, as he seeks to restore his human form and exonerate his friend.
Metamorphosis is a first-person puzzle-platformer, where the main gameplay loop involves bypassing environmental hazards or using your small insect body to try and solve puzzles with items in the game world. Exploring the world of Metamorphosis is a trippy experience, which is oddly similar to Sonic Dreams Collection. It also happens to be one of the most engaging settings of 2020, as standard household objects tower over the player as they try to explore a labyrinth of scary mundane items. Mastering the control over your insect body is tricky at first, but this makes sense, considering the fact that the player is supposed to be a human transplanted into another body. Once they have explored several tables and hidden passageways, they’ll soon have mastered the strange mechanics of their insect form and will be scuttling across the walls with the best of them.
The highlight of Metamorphosis is the small pockets of insect society that the player gets to visit. The small insect towns are comedic reflections of human ones, and meeting the inhabitants offers some of the best comedy moments in the game. A big shoutout goes to the insect disco that is built inside a gramophone, with its own Henny Youngman-style stand up comic, whose jokes involve insect puns. With all of that being said, anyone who is weirded out by insects should stay away from Metamorphosis, as the player will be getting up close and personal with bugs throughout the story. Even seeing the player’s insect legs scuttling in front of them might be too much for some players.
Short & Surreal
Metamorphosis is a short game, with a runtime of around 3-4 hours, and that might be off-putting for some. In some regards, the short runtime helps Metamorphosis, as stretching out the length of the game might have made its crazy insect world become familiar. As it stands, the game keeps the player’s attention hooked the entire time, pushing them forward to explore all of its bizarre nooks and crannies. If there is one complaint to be made about the game, it’s that the puzzles could have used more diversity, as many of the obstacles involve simply navigating large objects.
Metamorphosis offers a short, but memorable experience for gamers. Exploring the surreal insect world hidden around us is a genuine treat, and uncovering the story of Gregor’s disappearance will keep the player hooked until the end credits. Metamorphosis definitely isn’t for those who are scared by bugs, but it offers an unforgettable experience for those with the stomach for scuttling around on the floor.
A PC version of Metamorphosis was provided to TheGamer for this review. Metamorphosis is available now for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
