Whenever I see an indie title pop up from out of nowhere, just to receive unanimous praise from all other outlets in the business, my interest is immediately piqued. It’s not because I automatically assume that, sure, the game I had never heard of before is indeed a hit, but because I really want to find out if the latest indie darling is, indeed, worth the hype. Will it be like Celeste, or will it be, negatively, like What Remains of Edith Finch? Bionic Bay is the most recent belle of the ball, and I was finally able to give it a go. And yep, this one is worth the hype, even if it has some very minute issues.

Pick an object, then swap places with it if and when possible.

Bionic Bay follows the tradition of the overly atmospheric platformers with sparse dialogue or character interactions popularized by Inside and Limbo, but I’d honestly say it goes further what those two highly acclaimed games offered in terms of actually being interactive videogames. It’s not just about the atmosphere, the sights and sounds. It’s mostly about offering players a truly unique platforming experience that combines puzzle-solving with some incredibly fluid mobility.

So, first things first: what is Bionic Bay even about? Well, the game is somewhat sparse when it comes to its plot, but the summarised version of it is that you are a scientist stranded in a parallel dimension, in a weird biomechanical world hellbent on having you killed just by being there. He finds a weird, but oddly convenient teleportation device that allows him to bend space and time to help him out in his quest. To be very honest, the plot is just a short excuse given to players as to why we are doing the things we’re supposed to do. Bionic Bay is mostly about its gameplay, and that’s what really matters.

Basically everything in Bionic Bay wants you dead.

It’s almost like the game knows you’re expecting it to be a simple cinematic platformer at first, when you’re a guy who can barely walk, let alone jump, only for it to subvert your expectations with the first power up you acquire, which gives your body a somewhat rubbery composition, letting you jump extraordinarily far, and survive some long falls. You can then run, roll, and perform some awesome leaps in the air, which are used in conjuction with a double jump to let you reach some really distant platforms, and even solve some puzzles in more than one way.

When you acquire the little machine after the first level, things will then get wild. The first function you acquire is the possibility to swap places with a plethora of objects scattered throughout the levels. For instance, you can swap places with a huge block in order to get it out of your way, your jump like a kamikaze towards an enemy machine gun, only to swap your location with a bomb halfway through the jump, and destroy the obstacle in the process. This is just one of many, many possibilities the game throws at you, thanks to some genius level and puzzle design.

A truly hostile, but jaw-dropping gorgeous world.

That’s not to mention other abilities you can acquire later down the line, such as being able to slow down time momentarily, energize and throw things at a distance with a charged up punch, or rotating the screen in 90 degree angles, in a manner I can only describe as “Gravity Rush but in 2D”. You can only imagine the kinds of puzzles the developers were able to come up with, with just these few abilities. It’s already more than enough. The puzzles very rarely feel unfair, with just one or two instances of poor visibility hindering the chances of understand what you’re supposed to do. The control responsiveness is pristine.

Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that Bionic Bay is staggering to look at. Just look at the stills in this review, then just imagine an entire game made out of moving versions of these pictures. It shocks me to realize that the entire game is actually made out of pixels – the lighting effects and quality of the assets make Bionic Bay feel almost like a living, moving, abstract portrait. It runs incredibly well, even on a ROG Ally, and the backgrounds are varied enough.

Really tight and fluid platforming.

The music is what I’d probably consider to be the game’s only somewhat weak spot, and it’s not because it’s bad – there’s just not enough of it. The soundtrack itself is somewhat sparse. The sound effects are what drive the atmosphere forward, and, for the most part, they get the job done with honors.

Finally, there’s the underlying issue seen in most of these atmospheric platforms – usually the only issue they suffer from: lasting appeal. I’m not going to tell you that Bionic Bay is fully replayable. For the most part, one playthrough is more than enough, but it’s an absolute ride while it lasts. There is, however, an attempt from the developers to make the game last for longer, with the addition of time trials and modes catered specifically for speedrunners. As previously mentioned, the gameplay is a perfect fit for the community. I get that focusing on speedrunning isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea, and I’d 100% understand one just playing the game once, but I appreciate the attempt at giving an otherwise “one and done” experience some replayability.

It’s that one scene in Geonosis from Attack of the Clones, but with more lasers. And death.

Bionic Bay features some of the best and most creative platforming I’ve experienced in a good while, coupled with some fantastic graphics, and most importantly, really tight controls. I was really impressed by the level design, the puzzles being thrown at me, and the fact I very rarely complained about a roadblock being way too difficult to solve – the game never felt overly easy, but rarely, if ever, made me want to ragequit. Even if it had one or two minute issues, this game ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the year so far, and without a doubt an indie darling 100% worth the hype and praise it’s been getting.

Bionic Bay is available now on PS5 and PC.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB and Asus ROG Ally.

A copy of Bionic Bay was provided by the publisher.