A very fine puzzle platformer with absolutely fantastic mood and artwork.
The locales are varied and the game never outstays its welcome.

My first playthrough was about 8 hours. Subsequent playthroughs are about 2-3 hours.
Replayability is decent. To me the appeal for replayability comes from visiting the locales and trying to finish the puzzles as efficiently as possible.
Which is definitely a challenge.
YMMV, depending on how much the alien locales and tough puzzles do it for you.

Some puzzles might get frustrating if you try to brute-force them (I'm looking at you steam vents and sandworm!), but there always seems to be a clever solution.
The puzzles that got me massacred mostly required patience, especially on the first try. Which is probably why I sucked at them.

The story is good if a bit clichéd, but delivered in an effective manner. The ending(s) felt like a nice conclusion to a long and varied journey.

All in all a great title for which the artwork alone is worth the price of admission.

+Surprising amount of variety in the game
+Fantastic Artwork
+Some real headscratchers
-You will need to stomach some infuriatingly difficult platforming (Latest patch may have improved that)

I don't normally write reviews for games.

"The Way" really tries to be a real game. It combines adventure, puzzle, stealth, platforming, even a small bullet hell section.

And, at the end of the day, it really is a real game. It's just a pretty bad one.



So, here's what I liked and disliked (I finished the game):

+ The graphics are definitely great. Very good pixel art, a lot of times.

+ The music is great, although it's a bit too repetitive in some of the puzzle sections.

- There are simply not enough checkpoints. The game is too punishing when you make a mistake: you instantly die, and the checkpoint is almost always way more backwards than what you'd expect. If the developers literally doubled the number of checkpoints and put them inbetween the current ones, then it would be only slightly less forgiving than the average game.

- The control over the character feels awkward. You can walk, run, jump, crouch, shoot, use a special ability, or jump while running - and any combination of those is simply not possible. It feels too constricting and annoying. More than that, the basic movement is hard to control - controlling your speed for jumps, walking/running, are hard. There is almost no air control, and that's bad.

+ The puzzles are sometimes smart and interesting.

- The puzzles are frequently too long. There is one puzzle where you deflect a beam of light with your shield, towards a mirror, so that it hits a tiny barrier in a grid of barriers, so that later when you activate a laser those barriers will deflect it in a way that makes the "sum" of all the lasers in the grid look exactly like a certain shape. Sure, it's overcomplicated, but that's not the problem - the problem is that after understanding this and succeeding with it you need to REPEAT IT THREE MORE TIMES. There's no reason to extend a puzzle this much after the player already managed to solve it. Another fine example is the ice-maze-like part in the desert where you need to manually give preemptive directions to an automatic floating cube to solve a puzzle which you can only see during the attempt. The puzzle is long and that's fine, but the cube itself moves too slowly, and after it fails to reach the goal it takes the time to completely reverse its path back to the starting point, only slightly faster, while you sit there and just wait for it to finish already. Oh, and did I mention that the cube responds to your U/D/L/R instructions as if it were rotated 90 degrees? Yeah. Oh, and it doesn't even stay in place for a small amount of time if it's trying to do an invalid action, plus it starts at a corner, so simply figuring out that it's rotated 90 degrees was very annoying and counterintuitive.

+ The plot is okay.

- The sound effects are sometimes fine and sometimes lacking. The bark/howl that Tincan makes, and the whistle that the character makes to call him, are both too short and unrealistic and quite annoying.

+ The environments are very cool, and all the small details of the documents and writings on walls in certain areas really add to them. One of the best parts of the game.

So, overall impression of the game:

A great pixel artist, a great musician, a great programmer and an awful game designer combined forces to make a game. It worked, it just...had lots of game design flaws in it and had nothing particularly impressive or creative about it. That's it, really.

Not recommended. There's better games out there that do any or all genres of this one better.

A game that sets out to rebottle some of the lightning of Eric Chahi's groundbreaking Another World has some pretty big shoes to fill. There have been attempts to craft another game in its vein, ranging from the attempted direct sequel Heart of the Alien to the famous and well-regarded spiritual successor Flashback, and while many of these games are quite fun, I'd be hard-pressed to call any of them, even Flashback, equals to Chahi's masterpiece. Another World was simply without rival. I just completed it, and I can say with confidence that this game is indeed Another World's most worthy successor to date. This is the game I've been waiting for, and were I Eric Chahi, I'd be quite flattered by it.

Let me begin with a single caveat: this game demands a modern gamepad with dual analog sticks. Certain scenes are demanding enough with one, but nigh-unbeatable with keys, and I haven't found a good way to control some of the later powers acquired in the game without analog sticks. One particular chase sequence, affectionately called "The Nope" by some players...well, let's just say that I *did* complete it before switching to gamepad, and I consider that to be one of my greatest feats of gamer-fu to date. Save yourself the trouble: grab a modern gamepad to play this one.

Even during its "easy" first level, the game's no slouch, and expects you to think on your toes, to put together a large collection of data and refer to it while remaining unseen by various mechanical "eyes," and to solve some downright puzzly problems. This is a new element that The Way brings to the table, something that neither Another World nor Flashback explored much -- both the stealth elements and the puzzle elements add a forced "mental gear change," and I found myself enjoying the regular flips between twitch action and strategic planning quite enjoyable. This would have been easy to get wrong, but The Way, so far, has done a splendid job marrying its alma mater to entirely new territory. The puzzle difficulty is quite demanding, but has never yet felt unfair or even unreasonably taxing. (MABEC will surely earn some choice curse words from some players, but in this reviewer's humble opinion, it was merely demanding, not unreasonable.)

The visual design is quite beautiful. It's not quite as smooth as Another World's flat plane of polygons-under-glass, but I don't find that I mind the shift to painted pixels at all -- they're beautiful, and used to great visual effect, with a great deal of information conveyed in, at times, one or two pixels. The levels scroll, unlike Another World and Flashback, but I don't find that I mind this at all; it helps the player map the space, and the relationships between rooms and areas. The lighting effects are particularly beautiful, and quite subtle to boot. I might have liked to see our protagonist have additional Broderbund-like fluidity of movement, but that might have come about at cost to timing and responsiveness. The Way's controls are very responsive, and when the protagonist missed a jump, I never felt the game was to blame, only my own clumsiness. That impressed me -- the balance of "forgiving" and "demanding" felt just right for a first level, and reminded me a lot of Another World's. This is not an easy game, but it's self-aware, knows this, and difficulty ramps nicely over time.

The autosave feature bookmarks the game at certain milestones on your path, and additionally, keeps a journal of your deliverables, much like a modern RPG, so you can easily check to see what's left undone to proceed. I had worried this might diminish my sense of accomplishment figuring out what the game asked of me, but the game remains minimal in its "instructions" there. The "task list" is just helpful enough, and easy to disregard completely if you prefer to play by memory alone.

I've heard of people beating the game after nine hours of play, but I suspect that's quite aggressive and not typical for a first-time player. It took me nearly twenty-five hours to complete, and that amount of playtime for the price is excellent, much greater than Flashback's, let alone Another World's.

Everything I wanted to see from Another World was there -- the breakneck chases, the deadly and unforgiving alien world, the myriad causes of the protagonist's sudden deaths, the pixel-perfect frustrating jumps and dodges, the haunting, atmospheric yet minimal soundtrack. But so many things I didn't expect were in there, too -- stealth-action elements, Machinarium/The Dig-style heavier puzzles, and a richness and broadness to the world that really made it worth the two-years-past-deadline wait. This game was clearly its creators' prize jewel, and the attention to its faceting and polishing cannot be missed. In that one respect, it's more like Another World than even Flashback -- it is very recognizably a personal magnum opus, an expression of love for a genre rarely visited these days. In that one respect above all others, this is well and truly the game Another World fans have been waiting to play for years.

It's not just "Another World, one more time." It's the modern child of Another World, and it is both aware of its lineage and responsibility to its fans, but also determined to be remembered as more than simply a "cover band" of its alma mater's greatest hits. This is, put simply, everything I wanted The Way to be, and some things I didn't yet realize I wanted from it.

Brilliant. This is the Another World spiritual successor we've been waiting for.

[EDIT: Minor updates acknowledging that I've since completed the game.)

Well worth the wait. backed this game on kickstarter back in 2014 and the storyline and artwork had been buried in my mind since. My patience was rewarded 10x by the soundscore, charactor development and very interesting puzzles. game mechanics are very fluid and everything I could hope for from a 2D indie style platformer. Thanks Puzzling Dream for your dedication to completing this project and Playway for everything else. Im proud to have this in my library, (and to be in the credits)

I love this puzzle platformer, despite it being mildly frustrating due to the puzzle difficulty.

Shorter version of the review
This is a slow-paced puzzle platformer, personally i felt like crying at times due to the difficulty of the puzzles (I am not a big puzzle enthusiast, perhaps others might find these puzzles easier)
You won't run and gun everything you see, instead, you will need time to think through and to make a plan, and you need to pay attention to the hidden clues throughout the game.
While you do all of these, you will be accompanied by great viusals and atmosphere (Oh trust me, pixels or not, the visuals are atonishing).
I am not sure about the playtime, i would say around 14 hours, i had to play most of the time offline due to some local issues (not game-related).

Gameplay
The beginning, despite it being a bit sad, it was still very beautiful artistically speaking, you had a pretty solid idea of what happened and what to do, so you won't be 'out of it'.
There's no real tutorial which makes things more interesting, thus being said, you have small hints everywhere you go.
You might die few times until you figure out how to avoid enemies, learn their pathways, but you shouldn't try to agitate yourself much yet.
What i loved overall from the gameplay is that you never got the chance to even get bored, the atmosphere is perfect, and there's always a little something to keep you entertained.

The puzzles are a bit hard, but then again, you are not being rushed so you can take as much time as you need to understand what the deal is with each of the puzzles, if something keeps not working then try to do thing differently.
Also, i found the controls to be a bit clunky sometimes, but due to the nature of the game (being slow-paced, and not being forced to run and do many things as quickly as possible), they weren't very annoying.
I'd like to finish up with this section as i am afraid i might give any unintentional spoilers, or just be too "shady" on certain aspects and leave everyone in the dark.

Atmosphere and Music
Atmosphere in this game is purely amazing, all the things that fall into this category match themselves and work perfectly together.
The music scores in the game are delicate and gentle, they pleased because they were so discrete that sometimes when you focus too much you can't even hear the music anymore.

For me, the first game that popped up in my mind with a similar atmosphere was 'The Silent Age'.

Small message for the devs
This quick small chapter i will write as a personal message to the visual artists.
Thank you! You did an amazing job, the way lighting and shadows were applied to every object in the game was purely brilliant, i found myself many times just stopping from actually playing, just to enjoy the beautiful view.



Pros

• Perfect atmosphere and music
  
• Beautiful story that most of you might bond with
  
• Active developers that do care about bugs and really work on them

Cons

• The checkpoints where the game saves your progress aren't perfect
  
• Controls can be a little clunky
  
• You can't use both gamepad/mouse at the same time (If you want to do a part of the game with the mouse, you have to switch that in the settings)

My rating for it would be a solid 80/100, and i do encourage you to try this one if you enjoy puzzles, beautiful atmosphere, and simple but powerful stories.

Early KS backer for this game and I am very glad I did. I find myself drawn back to it time and time again. I'll sit and play for a few hours and each time I will reach a point that brings me almost to 'rage quit' and then I will have an 'AH-HA!' moment and figure out the puzzle.

The music is thematic and amazing, very mesmerizing . I really enjoy what they have done with the story elements. It's not just a pointless meandering through an alien world. There is substance in the story and purpose in your actions.

I can't wait to finsh this game. I am taking my time, going over it methodically, as I do not want to miss a thing.

Bravo! Well worth the price tag, spectacular and beautiful game.

The Way is a punishing yet rewarding puzzle-platformer with a nice story and play-style reminiscent of games like Another World.

Story
In The Way you play a space explorer who has tragically lost the women he loves and will do anything he can to bring her back. Though the story may sound a little obvious and may have been done before The Way tells a very emotional story in a fantastic way and is well worth the journey (so far). As you play through the game you’ll find more about just what is going on, especially through the ‘memories’ that can be found throughout the different levels taking you back to those moments often with great emotional impact.
The story explains why you are doing what you are doing well and makes the difficulty of the game a little more bearable because at the end of the day, there isn’t much a person wouldn’t do if they thought it’d bring back a loved one.

General Gameplay
The Way is hard. I don’t mean a little difficult, I mean pull-your-hair-out-HARD but I also feel the game is equally rewarding. Saying that though, if you are not a seasoned puzzler you’ll most likely have real trouble completing even the first few puzzles. Gameplay consists of the usual platformer with very intricate puzzles you’ll be facing at almost every point. Some puzzles consist of simple things like timing things properly or jumping the correct distance but others are much longer and involve many parts. You’ll find yourself remembering codes, transporting items, flipping switches and dodging dangers so there is plenty of distinction and differences between the various puzzles and nothing ever feels repetitive..
True to older puzzle-platformers you’ll not only have to think about what you’re doing before you do it, you’ll also most likely need a pen and paper to hand as well. Though some puzzle automatically save the information you need, others will require you to remember sequences that unless you have a photographic memory, you’ll probably struggle.
Alongside puzzles you’ll also find yourself facing some enemies but they are nothing a few shots from your pistol won’t fix (most of the time :P).
Despite there being a lack of a tutorial the mechanics of the game are simple and pretty self explanatory, however I do feel some of the puzzles could be explained in a little more detail. You’ll find yourself dying a lot if you don’t pay attention and at other points you’ll be completely stumped if you missed just one minor piece of information.

Pros
--- Emotional story told well.
--- Challenging puzzles
--- Steam achievements worth getting
--- Great pixel art and in game world design
--- Immersive soundtrack (with a digital soundtrack and artbook coming soon)

Cons
Those new to puzzlers will most likely struggle with The Way as the difficulty of some of the puzzles is rather insane. Though some might not consider this to be a con, the fact that you don’t have any difficulty settings rules out a large portion of people who just don’t have the time and patience to stick at it. I have had to stop playing and come back at a later date just out of frustration which is not something I want to do when playing a game. Something else which I find to be an issue is the save points being few and far between and there being no manual save. For example when leaving the first temple and walking to place the triangular object at the other one I died multiple times taking me back to the temple over and over. There are various other points where there could be a save to avoid travelling in non-puzzle areas because it’s so time consuming. Other than the difficulty and lack of saves i’ve not had a single other issue.

Summary
If you like difficult puzzle-platformers or enjoyed games like Another World then The Way will be perfect for you. The story is solid, the gameplay enjoyable and the puzzles are difficult yet rewarding. $15 is a fair price and it’s more than worth it if you can grab it in a sale. The Way is game i’ll be slowly losing my sanity trying to complete.

I haven't heard of this game until the day it released. I am a huge fan of Out of this World (or 'Another World'), Flashback, and Heart of Darkness as well as any games of the like. So when I saw the description for this game and watched the trailer I picked it up.

The story is captivating while the art is immersive. The music gives a beautiful backdrop for the scenery and lends a very touching effect to the ending in particular. While the gameplay gets the job done there are certain puzzles that could have been designed in a more graceful manner. I encourage players to seek out help on discussion boards when they hit walls in this game because I wouldn't want them to be held back from the full experience.

The difficulty is manageable though there are a couple events that can obstruct progress in a frustrating manner, namely a Battletoad like sequence as well as a bullet hell encounter. The former can be overcome in a few tries although it feels cheap. The latter can be very aggravating but it is meant as a build up, which in that context makes it understandable.

All-in-all, I enjoyed what the game brought to the table and I'd say the dev team succeeded in their goal of providing a Heart of Darkness/Another World-like experience, albeit with more puzzles than usual. I suggest this game for players with similar tastes.

I only have 2.4 hours on record, however, most of it was spent in the first part of gameplay. Here's what I do know:
- The puzzles are complex and thought provoking
- The sprite art is amazing
- Sad, complex and rich story, making me want to know more
- Difficult enemies
- Awesome stealth mechanics
- Sometimes its a little wonky with the gaming mechanics (trying to go up and down ladders, platforming while sprinting, etc)
- Accurate shooting mechanic
- Hauntingly beautiful soundtrack
- Nice SFX

Once I do a full playthough and upload my video/review on my YouTube Channel, I will update this review. Still, from the little bit I do know, I would definitely say BUY THIS GAME! It's afforable, and worth every penny.