Glitch - Hands-On

Sandbox experiences aren't really my thing. I like structure, clearly defined goals and a universe that panders to my every whim rather than existing blissfully without my influence. That is perhaps why a lot of social MMOs like Glitch have passed me by, as existing for the point of existing has never really held much sway with me – unless that game is Animal Crossing, obviously.

Nintendo's humble good-natured life sim is a world away from most MMO releases with an atmosphere which is less about the constant need to progress and more about tending to a world and making a slice of it your own. The reason why we bring this assuredly offline experience up is that Glitch takes every part of that legendary series and successfully ports it into an browser-based MMO environment with dozens of different skills to learn, housing which is fully customizable and lots of intriguing characters to interact with.

If you take a look at the visuals and listen to the delightfully plinky plonky soundtrack, it would be easy to dismiss Glitch as a kid-orientated experience, but this is world that all ages can revel in. Like all great free-to-play experiences, it's a doddle to get into this game. You simply head to the game's website, create a character and you begin playing straight away. The user interface slings a few introductory quests your way, establishing the elaborate skill system which forces your character to learn skills in real-time, and how you can interact with the host of wildlife, characters, vendors and other players which occupy the rest of the side-scrolling world.

The speech bubbled dialogue is strange yet endearing and the activities, be they milking butterflies or petting a pig so you can nibble on its meat, make the most of the slightly obtuse world. There are plenty of areas to visit in the overworld, but gameplay rarely veers from the traditions of platforming and harvesting items from flora and fauna. There are gods which need tribute, and they'll offer up a nifty imagination bonus (Glitch's term for XP) for any goods you sling down their statues' throats, but for the most part this is a very crafting-orientated experience.

Occasionally quests will chuck interesting stories, platforming challenges and neat little fables your way, and that's when the character of Glitch really shines through. Being told about a god stealing stars by interacting with slowly fading storyboards is much more fun than it sounds.

GETTING HOOKED UP

A lot of this social experience's appeal is linked with developing your house and producing items which can then be sold. Turning your persistent pad into a farm with vegetables and livestock takes time, but other players can visit it any time, regardless of you being online or not, and growing your character to be able to interact and do more things in the over-world soon becomes a worrying obsession.

Coming across another player is rare in the world, but the local and general chat channel is there for you if want to team up with others, tackle quests together or just meet up in the world to high-five, hug or trade.

Playing an MMORPG without any combat may sound like chowing down on a burger only to find there's no meat between the buns, but Glitch doesn't suffer from that kind of disappointment. Crafting completely replaces that compulsive itch and results in a community which is much more upbeat and ready to help players.

Interacting with anything is simply a case of clicking and choosing an option from a drop-down menu, but this is so that the gameplay is accessible.

Last year Tiny Speck took the brave decision to take Glitch offline and back into Beta in order to add more polish and content to their debut game, and that effort is clear to see. The supporting web and mobile infrastructure is a prime example of that polish and the microtransactions seem fair, only offering vanity items to those willing to pay a little extra.

My overwhelming feeling about Glitch is one of surprise. I didn't expect a social experience to get its hooks into me this quickly or deeply, especially with all the crafting trappings, but after a week with the game I genuinely had a tough time stepping away to cover other games. That's a label very few MMOs can boast, especially browser ones, and is a testament to Glitch's quality and character. It'll be very interesting to see how this delightfully absurd yet welcoming experience evolves in the future.