Games set during the festive period not only seem to be few and far between but arguably haven’t done especially well from a critical perspective, either. Seeking to address this most egregious of circumstances, Ebenezer and the Invisible World attempts to bring the tenets of Metroidvania game design to Charles Dickens’ beloved festive fable, A Christmas Carol – and does so with entertaining, though ultimately unsurprising results.
Ebenezer And The Invisible World PS4 Review
A Festive, Glossy Metroidvania That Certainly Entertains But Doesn’t Reinvent The Wheel
Perhaps the most important thing to lead with, at least for those fans of Dickens popular tale, is that Ebenezer and the Invisible World isn’t a retelling of A Christmas Carol (and thank Crom for that), but rather a sequel of sorts – as sacrilegious as that might seem. Here, we find Ebenezer enjoying his newfound life of not being a massive a-hole to everybody only to be visited by an apparition who claims that Ebenezer’s interactions with the three ghosts of Christmas has caused a breach in the Invisible World, a spectral realm of limitless power that wealthy industrialist, Caspar Malthus, wants to take advantage of.
To address this situation, Ebenezer ventures out into the snow-dappled streets of Victorian London with his trusty cane in hand, ready to beat down(!) those who would take advantage of the good, downtrodden poor folk of London all the while seeking to put an end to Caspar Malthus’ desires to hold the city in an iron grip. A Metroivania with an emphasis on fluid combo based combat and acrobatic platforming, I have to say it’s *weird* to see Ebenezer Scrooge portrayed as essentially a dapper older gentleman that moves and kicks ass like Alucard from the Castlevania games, rather than the doddering and frail old lad that we’re used to seeing when looking at previous interpretations of Dickens’ favourite miser.
And indeed, controlling Ebenezer himself is more or less a responsive pleasure – with the sprightly old fella making all manner of leaps, double jumps, mantles and evasions with ease, while also executing the sort of combination based attacks that would make any member of the Belmont family blush. Speaking of the Castlevania games, anybody who has played them – or indeed any 2D platforming Metroidvania effort from the last twenty or so years – will have a fair idea about what to expect from Ebenezer and the Invisible World. As the newly redeemed Ebenezer Scrooge, you’ll make your way across a gleaming, two-dimensional depiction of Victorian London, defeating enemies with your cane, collecting money to purchase upgrades and of course, unlocking special abilities that allow you to reach areas that were previously inaccessible. This is Metroidvania 101 and this is fine.
Where Ebenezer and the Invisible World primarily seeks to distinguish itself from its immediate peers however, is in its visual presentation. Showcasing some gorgeously animated, cartoon-like sprites coupled with some magnificently detailed backdrops, sauntering your way through snow-capped festive Victorian London is quite a sight, with some beautiful decorations and other such seasonal sights presenting a real treat for the eyes alongside familiar landmarks. It’s properly evocative stuff that looks very much how I would envision Dickens’ take on Victorian London to appear.
Naturally being a Metroidvania styled effort, there is plenty of progression to be had and like many other efforts in the genre, it’s broadly split across improvements to Ebenezer’s health, ghost energy (more on this in a bit), damage output and of course, the ability to progress to and reach new areas that you weren’t able to reach previously.
In tying everything neatly back to this idea of interacting with the titular invisible and incorporeal world, you’ll find yourself meeting up with various ghosts who after tasking you to complete special quests for them, will become yours to use in either combat or to pass through various barriers which allow you to explore more of the map in turn. Though powerful (and sometimes a little overpowered – as there is one ghost in particular that possesses an attack which literally floods the screen with fire and murders pretty much everything very quickly), there is a limit of sorts to how often you can leverage these spirits in battle thanks to a ghost energy bar that depletes the more you wheel out these punishing phantoms.
Of course, in Ebenezer and the Invisible World there is no shortage of loot and other such goodies to be collected and in this sense, the game does a good job of making you want to explore every nook and cranny of its maps in order to max out your character as far as possible. A big part of this are the dollar coins that Ebenezer will scoop up throughout the course of his adventure – either via vanquishing enemies or through just smashing up various objects in the environments. Now, I have no idea why Ebenezer Scrooge would be collecting dollars in Victorian England, but I do know that these coins, once amassed, can be used to purchase all manner of replenishing supplies and performance boosting gear from a friendly local seller called Jasper and his best friend – a massive ghostly pig.
If you’re looking for something significant that Ebenezer and the Invisible World does which other Metroidvania offerings don’t do, I don’t really have anything for you. Ebenezer and the Invisible World is a handsomely made effort that neither attempts to reinvent the wheel and neither does it fail in nailing the fundamentals of the genre – it’s just a decently made take on the Metroidvania design template and for many looking for their next fix, that will be enough. Additionally, Ebenezer and the Invisible World deserves credit for actually turning Mr. Scrooge into one of the year’s most unlikely physical protagonists. It would seem all of that spiritual redemption and good living has taken decades off of his previously creaky looking frame.
With a constant sense of wanting to do good and generally improve the lives of others in general (this is a post three Ghosts of Christmas enlightened version of Ebenezer Scrooge, lest we forget), there is a keen sense of holiday spirit that runs through Ebenezer and the Invisible World, especially as the titular elderly gent will come across other cheerful characters from Dickens’ timeless novel such as his old employer Fezziwig and even Tiny Tim which cement that feeling yet further still.
Ebenezer and the Invisible World is refreshing on one hand in that it manages to break the curse of awful festive games by delivering a tightly focused Metroidvania offering that boasts an attractive visual veneer. On the other however, it’s also clear that Ebenezer and the Invisible World certainly doesn’t break any new ground in the genre and arguably fades somewhat when compared to its more illustrious peers. Nonetheless, though far from exceptional, Ebenezer and the Invisible World still presents a perfectly entertaining genre entry all the same and a great way to celebrate the holidays.
Ebenezer and the Invisible World is out now on PS4.
Review code provided by PR.