Video games have always found a way to get the most out of minimalist design, whether through the medium's early moments like Pong or recent indie classics like Journey. Perhaps more than any kind of modest visual design, games have stretched the aesthetic of Tron, with plenty of neon colors and black backgrounds. Kinetic Edge, from developer SCT, is the latest game to fit into this category.
Kinetic Edge is an interesting genre mash-up. Its primary gameplay is akin to a 3D puzzle platformer, with the player tasked with traversing various levels using the game's physics to their advantage. It's all wrapped up in a neat Tron-style bow, with its complex, multi-layered levels looking particularly striking.
The game is split between five different game modes. Race sees the player trying to get through every checkpoint on the map and beat the best score, and is likely the mode most likely to get plenty of play with users trying to achieve the best time to top the leaderboard. However, there's more variety for players in Kinetic Edge, such as Arena battling in multiplayer, some mini golf levels that act as a nice respite from the rush of the rest of the game, randomly generated mazes, and a one-off challenge called the Gauntlet.
The Gauntlet is undoubtedly the most complete experience of the lot, challenging the player with everything they have learned across the rest of Kinetic Edge. Its lack of checkpoints means that the slightest slip-up will send the player back to the start, although there is a training mode that is more lenient. However, with only one map so far, it's a shame that the Gauntlet is short on content at the moment.
This is an unfortunate problem with Kinetic Edge across the board in its current version. Although the choices of game mode are varied, each option only has a selection of maps aside from the randomly-generated mazes which act more as a mild curio than a fully-fledged experience. Kinetic Edge has the groundwork here, but more maps will be needed, since the game lacks the immediate replayability of those top multiplayer experiences.
Thankfully the gameplay that is here is rather solid. Kinetic Edge has simple controls, but these are extremely effective given the emphasis on manipulating the game's physics. Kinetic Edge certainly requires some practice to get the fastest time - after all, the end goal is not just to complete the level but to finish as quickly as possible. Partially this practice is needed to memorize the maps, although equally it's sometimes required to get to grips with the occasionally confusing level design.
In part this is thanks to Kinetic Edge's camera. In spite of the minimalist approach, the levels can feel quite cluttered with objects, and sometimes this doesn't track well with fast-paced travel through narrow routes. This can mean that the player's view can be blocked by walls or other parts of the scenery, which is hardly ideal given the nature of the game.
Aside from the camera issues, however, the visuals in Kinetic Edge are good. The game has a wonderful, flowing energy that is best felt when at high speed, but even when experiencing its more careful moments the constantly-moving elements of the levels are impressive to behold. It even manages to make mini golf look exciting.
Overall, Kinetic Edge is a mixed bag. The core gameplay is fun and it's a thrilling game to look at most of the time, but a lack of map variety and some fiddly camera moments holds it back from its potential. As it stands it's still a fun pickup for a bit of puzzle platforming, but it has the potential to be much better with more maps to help build a multiplayer community.
Kinetic Edge is available now on PC. Screen Rant was provided with a PC download code for the purposes of this review.