What could possibly go wrong in a game about a girl who tries to save the world and periodically transforms into a fly or a frog to do so? That’s right — everything. But just as easily, everything could come together in an unusual and vivid action adventure. So what did Otherskin turn out to be?
The main thing is that the costume fits
The main character of the game is Alex, one of the Space Crusaders sent by the Exodus organisation on dangerous solo expeditions. She embarks on a suicide mission to the planet Vandeemir, the ancestral home of the extinct Magna people. This is where the source of the ever-expanding Corruption is located—a force capable of annihilating all life in the universe.
Alex must gather as much data as possible before succumbing to the Corruption, because her high-tech suit with built-in artificial intelligence only offers temporary protection. Scientists attempt to extend her survival with each landing, but Alex remains pessimistic—especially since she is the 13th Crusader on this perilous mission.
The plot is periodically illustrated with expressive artwork.
Upon arriving on the planet, there is a glimmer of hope. Thanks to evolution and the efforts of past Space Crusaders, Alex’s suit can sustain her life. However, to survive, she must constantly improve the suit, upgrade her weapons, and unlock new blueprints and enhancements, such as increased health or combined melee and ranged damage boosts.
I want to fly
Most importantly, Alex must constantly copy the morphological traits of the local fauna. She doesn’t fully transform into a fly—admittedly, I was a little misleading in the introduction—but she can grow wings to soar high through the air. From a frog, she copies a long tongue that functions like a cat’s hook.
But if you think that’s the extent of it, you’d be deeply mistaken. The imagination of the creators of Otherskin seems limitless. For instance, Alex learns to control time, walk, run, and jump through the air, mimic animal cries, imitate a drilling rig to burrow underground, or even become a walking watering can that absorbs water from puddles and sprays it. And eventually, she gains the ability to manipulate gravity and transform into a dragon-like creature.
All these abilities are used both to solve puzzles and to defeat enemies. Screams can shatter obstacles and stun opponents, the grappling hook lets her traverse long distances or strike enemies directly, water conducts electricity to devices and slows foes, and the drilling rig allows underground movement while throwing other subterranean monsters out of the way. And if you’re looking for a little extra fun outside the game, you could even try your luck with a Winbeast Casino and their promotions, that can give you a chance to explore new adventures without spending a cent.
The game features many dark, foreboding locations, yet moments of aerial freedom make for exhilarating gameplay. Locations and missions are diverse, ensuring the player is constantly surprised. We run through alien forests, fields, rivers, jungles, and swamps, but also explore a spaceport where Alex becomes a sky skateboarder, racing along monorails and avoiding obstacles.
In other sections, gameplay resembles Only Up! as we jump higher and higher, using portals and charging flying platforms with our cries. Alex even traverses the body of a massive creature or navigates planetoids, moving between them with her grappling hook. Each celestial body has its own gravity, and at times, she moves upside down through space, pushing the planetoids away with her feet.
The developers carefully avoided repeating levels. Some areas are expansive and complex, while others are shorter, essentially serving as a race from point A to point B, usually culminating in a boss fight. At the end of each location, Alex must destroy another living Heart of Corruption and then return to the huge tower hub. From there, she can select new locations or revisit old ones to collect more fragments of bio-essence, which are used to upgrade weapons and melee combat.
Exploration is rewarded with statues that increase health reserves, blueprints, and points of interest—often aboriginal wall paintings or flora observations. These add atmosphere and lore, though they don’t have direct gameplay benefits.
However, Otherskin isn’t a traditional Metroidvania. Returning to the tower resets all morphs—Alex loses the abilities gained from creatures and must relearn them each time she revisits a location. This design choice keeps the gameplay dynamic and constantly evolving.
Have you tried testing the game?
And yet, Otherskin is a very diverse action-adventure game with genuinely interesting ideas. In addition to the usual puzzles—like “Restore the bridge by rewinding time,” “Find and shoot three red spheres,” or “Drag the box to the wall”—there are truly unusual situations. For example, some boxes are alive, and you have to yell at them to make them move in the right direction.
So, what could go wrong? The first thing that immediately stands out is the technical execution. And it’s not just about freezes and crashes. Far worse are the non-functioning scripts and triggers. One bug forced me to restart an entire level, and another nearly made me quit the game, the quest, and even my faith in humanity. Midway through the game, Otherskin simply refused to conduct electricity through water I had spilled onto a wire, preventing a door from opening. After consulting my nerves and watching a YouTube video where everything worked fine, I restarted the game, and after two hours, I was convinced it was a genuine bug.
On the bright side, the alien landscapes are truly expressive.
There are also issues with controls and overall comfort during platforming and combat. Everything seems to be in place: close- and long-range combat, normal and enhanced attacks, aerial strikes, combos, dodges, and shields (when the appropriate morph ability is active). The arsenal grows as you progress and includes a pistol, shotgun, sniper rifle, grenade launcher analogue, and even living bombs that can be thrown at enemies or obstacles.
However, gameplay often feels chaotic. Aiming, jumping, and shooting can be inconvenient, the camera occasionally goes haywire, and Alex frequently stumbles—especially when finishing off enemies. Crosshairs get knocked off, enemies constantly knock Alex down, and she then rises slowly or gets stuck in textures, sometimes convulsing from glitches. All of this becomes frustrating.
Finally, the characters lack charisma. Alex has no spark—she’s just another saviour of the universe. While her abilities, like growing wings and gills, could be a source of humour, irony, or emotional interaction with a sympathetic AI partner, the dialogue is bland and strictly mission-focused.
This makes it even more disappointing, considering the epic gameplay moments available: throwing fruit into a monster’s mouth with a shield, jumping and running through the air during boss battles, or diving at the final villain as a dragon-like bomber. The game offers plenty of epic moments, diverse mechanics, interesting locations, and creative ideas. Overall, Otherskin recalls classic PlayStation 2-era adventures: less convenient but more honest and somehow pure. Yet, many mundane exercises, uninspired characters, a banal plot, and technical bugs diminish the experience. The game is playable, but this concept could have been developed into something truly compelling.
Final verdict
Otherskin is a game of contrasts. Its imaginative mechanics, epic set-pieces, and diverse locations demonstrate a remarkable creative vision. Yet, poor technical execution, awkward controls, and uninspired characters hold it back from being truly exceptional. For players willing to overlook glitches and embrace its chaotic charm, it offers moments of genuine fun and originality. For others, it may feel frustrating and unpolished. Otherskin is worth experiencing for its ideas and unique gameplay, but it ultimately leaves a sense of untapped potential.
Pros:
- Extremely interesting concept involving copying the morphological properties of alien fauna
- Abundance of unique abilities and related puzzles
- Levels and locations are rarely repeated, constantly offering new experiences
- Interesting boss battles
- Picturesque graphics
- Decent sound design
Cons:
- Plot and characters are banal
- Controls and camera are problematic
- Weak technical implementation
