Speer DX is a Puzzle Platformer with no story and the simple goal of reaching the end of all 125 stages. We take control of our nameless blonde protagonist with a throwing arm that would make even the Olympic gods swoon. He can throw his titular speer clear across most of the level and, depending on the surface, will stick to the wall. Part of the overall puzzle is creating our own platforms via these speers to navigate a level. It allows a great deal of freedom, and you can often find solutions that may have one wondering if they were the intended ways to reach the end. This sense of creative control leads it closer to the immersive sim genre than your typical predetermined Puzzle game containing one solution.
Our first few stages are simple affairs, mostly there to get us accustomed to the buttons. We can move, jump, grab, and throw. It is a control setup that anyone can quickly pick up and play. Speer DX is equal parts Platformer and Puzzle game. You need to have an understanding of both in the oftentimes incredibly precise movements required of us. Luckily, for those not as interested in platforming, an optional Puzzler Mode allows us to toggle slow motion on command. It makes it much easier to aim your throws and land jumps. We will also get three checkpoint flags instead of one. They let you revive in the location you plant them in when you meet your untimely demise. Most importantly, there is no downside if you want to activate that feature to focus on the puzzles.
Whatever way you decide to play, there will remain some challenge to reach the end. Our character has an unlimited amount of speers to hurl at any problem. The catch is that only one can be on-screen at any given time. You throw one, and the other disappears. It isn’t a simple manner of throwing a thousand of them and merrily hopping our way to victory. We can climb a vertical surface only if we time it correctly. Piece by piece, we will eventually reach the top of any summit, yet one mistake will lead to a tumble back down to the bottom. Once again, there is no shame in activating the Puzzler Mode to receive the slow-motion skill. The game’s last levels will test the reaction time of even the most seasoned Platformer fan.
All of the levels take place on a single screen. What you see in a picture is the extent of that stage. We can see the obstacles and quickly conceive a plan at a glance. You’ll be surprised just how many in-game mechanics this title packs. There is a crystal that turns the next speer you throw into a trampoline, lasers that destroy objects yet our character can walk through, and much more. It does a great job of not overwhelming us with all of them. Speer DX typically uses just a few gimmicks at a time while upping the complexity in more digestible ways. I’m not exactly the paragon of intelligence, but I was no longer breezing through stages after the halfway point. As the IQ requirements continually ramped up, so did my thoughts of “oh god, I hope I can actually finish this”. Those moments of carefully analyzing the level, hatching up a plan, and executing it were when Speer DX truly came to life.
It is easy to fail beyond repair if you aren’t careful. One missed speer or poorly thought-out idea can set you back to the beginning of a stage. Thanks to how short they are, you’ll return to where you failed in no time. The lack of knowledge in a new level will be what is holding the player back initially. Having three checkpoints in the Puzzler Mode can be both a blessing and a curse due to this. Be very careful where you set a respawn point. As we sit there thinking about the next course of action, our character will lay back and perform a cute sleeping animation while he waits. Speer DX isn’t going to melt your GPU, but small details like that add a ton of charm. I should note that the CRT filter is on by default to capture that retro feel of sitting in front of the warm glow of a cathode ray tube. My preference was to have it off, as shown in all the pictures captured for this review.
Every 25 levels will lead to a change of world and background. None are too striking, yet it does keep away the visual monotony. Loading into a different world also means a new chiptune song to enjoy. It always feels like a real milestone to trek away such a big chunk of stages and see new horizons. In another way to increase accessibility, we can skip any level that is giving us trouble after a few deaths. There is a ton of content to bite into, even if you skip several. It’s remarkable that the entire game is less than 31 MB. After conquering all 125 areas, Speer DX has a Billy Mays moment and says, “Wait, there’s more!”. A new Time Attack mode will be unlocked where we can shoot to beat each stage again in the shortest time possible.
That new mode is relegated to beating your own scores. There are no online leaderboards, which is a shame. Racing against our friends would have been a ton of fun. At the same time, it doesn’t differentiate between playing on Puzzler Mode or not, so it may have been unfair without a rework of the scoring system. Another minor issue is the lack of Steam’s Cloud Saving. Speer DX is perfect for on-the-go play. You must choose between a stationary or mobile experience unless you want to go through the hassle of manually finding and swapping saves. It is a lengthy title. After doing around a quarter of the content again in Time Attack mode, I’m at over five hours and plan on playing more in the future. That is incredible value per Dollar when you factor in Speer DX only costs $5 at full price.
The game has been crafted with a great deal of care. There is never that sense of just going through the motions. Seemingly, every stage has new ideas that the developer is eager to implement. Speer DX was a joy to play and an outstanding addition to the Puzzle Platformer genre. You can take it as seriously or as relaxed as you want. Both will offer up a ton of enjoyment. If you decide to collect every stage’s collectible or simply race to the end is up to you. It isn’t the type of title that dishes out punishments for how you play. The primary focus was to provide a fun and enjoyable experience. In that, it has succeeded with flying colors. I wholeheartedly recommend giving Speer DX a chance.
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