I wasn’t sure what to expect from Traumatarium. The graphics are excellent. Is reminded me of the “choose your adventure” book I read when I was young. Judging by the title, I was expecting to plunge into a dark fantasy tale where the player is on the verge of going mad facing the horde of demonic enemies. But the only traumatic thing about this game is how short it is!
A great looking game
The gameplay boils down to this. Each screen is static. Whether you’re exploring the village or the dungeons, you’re in a room and have to make a choice. Buy something, talk to a character, choose an exit. It is fine for me, it really is an hommage to the old computer RPGs.
The stated aim of this game was to push the console’s graphic limits to the limit. Well, I’d say they’ve achieved their goal. The artwork perfectly conveys the gothic, macabre tone of the story.
An under-exploited game
I really enjoyed exploring the dungeons. This game really has great potential! But the length and simplicity of the game spoil the fun a little. Indeed, after completing the first dungeon, you quickly realize that you can simply spam the A button to advance. It doesn’t matter if there’s a monster to fight, a fountain to drink or a statue to inspect. The A button is always the right option. The game thus becomes repetitive. Even the music lacks diversity.
You don’t have to draw a map, you won’t get lost. Each dungeon simply has 10 rooms, randomly selected each time you enter it. You simply have to spam the A button to get to the next room, until you reach the end.
The progression and difficulty aren’t well adjusted. You quickly buy the best weapon, and become too strong too early. It would have been great to have to grind a little, gather some ressources to upgrade your inventory. Every item is too easy to get.
So?
I’d say it’s a very good game, but too under-exploited, too short. It’s almost a demo. Probably because of the memory limitations of the gameboy cartridges, I don’t know. I would have liked to have several choices on each screen, and for these choices to have consequences.
But I really enjoyed the short time I played Traumatarium. I would say that, although the price is a bit high for a 1 hour game with little replayability, you should buy the downloadable edition. Only buy the physical if you’re a hardcore homebrew collector.
My score: 6 Bandages out of 10
Where to buy:
https://horatiunyc.itch.io/traumatarium
https://www.homebrew-factory.com/game-boy/48-traumatarium-gb.html