Depri-Horst Review: A Depressingly Good Time

Published: March 6, 2015 9:00 AM /

Reviewed By:


depri-horst logo

Before beginning this review I must admit that while I often suckle at the ample teat of portable games I am not one to play many titles available on mobile platforms. There are of course exceptions; the size of my Tiny Death Star would make even the Emperor blush, but it takes a lot to pique my interest. But Depri-Horst did just that with its unique and quirky art style mixed with a humorous storyline. I dusted off the old iPad in preparation to get sucked in.

depri-horst

The brain child of just a single developer, Steffen Wittig, Depri-Horst follows the story of our eponymous character, a rather depressed mailman, who has to wade through the literal shitpile that is his life, delivering mail, avoiding the NSA and running from rolling fire-breathing cats. While the story is quite short standing at around seven 5-10 minute levels, there is a certain amount of replay-ability with it which makes it worth the $2 price tag.

Gameplay is nothing entirely new, but something a bit different from the usual mobile puzzle type games. A platformer in genre, Horst is ever moving towards his goal while you tap behind him to jump, and in front of him to fire letters at errant turds, cats and skateboarding children that cross his path. If you eliminate enough, you are rewarded by the ability to power up either your mental health, walking speed, jumping height or throwing speed. Be warned though, Depri-Horst is made intensely and frustratingly difficult if you do not up your walking speed as soon as possible, as it makes longer gaps almost impossible to cross. This in my mind is a bit of poor game design though one of my few qualms. The gameplay is delightfully challenging, a little bit addicting and, while repetitive, fits the theme of the game precisely. The rewards do just enough to give the game the replayability factor.

depri-horst scene

I will admit though, that you shouldn’t really pick up Depri-Horst for the gameplay, but much more for the art. Each level begins with an amusing comic strip featuring Horst’s classic self hatred, which does a lot to cheer even the most down on their luck joe up about their life, and the green, purple and grey color palate does a lot to bring you into the depressing world of the game.

While I don’t have much to admonish the game for, there isn’t really too much to rage about it either. The best thing about it certainly is the artwork which is unique in its style, but other than that there isn’t anything that stands out about Depri-Horst. I nice little game that most would enjoy, but not a must buy.

depri-horst image

Depri-Horst was provided courtesy of the developer, but you can buy yours from the App Store or Google Play.

What do you think of Depri-Horst?

Review Summary

6.5

A pretty little game which will definitely make you chuckle, but nothing that makes it truly stands out.

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| Former Staff Writer

Georgina is a former writer for TechRaptor, you can find her on Twitter!