Who Knew Slamming Doors Could Be So Much Fun: A Goliath Depot Review

By Manuel

Players: 1-2 (Local Only)
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC

Back when I reviewed Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore (Which can be found HERE) I wondered what other "bad" games could be made good if the developers took a different approach to the core concept. Little did I know at the time that a game inspired by another "bad" CD-i game, in this case Hotel Mario, was soon to drop into my lap! Enter Goliath Depot, a game that takes Hotel Mario's door-slamming mechanic, but crafts a far better game that rather simple premise. Having been previously released on Steam, it recently got a Nintendo Switch release by way of publisher Flynn's Arcade. That's the version we're going to be looking at today. There's a lot to cover here, so let's get right into it!

Goliath Depot does have something of a story, but I'm not sure if its one worth relaying in this review. Goliath Depot puts players into the role of a factory worker who comes into work one day and notices that all the products in the factory seem to be going a bit crazy. It's up to you to shut all the factory doors to keep these products from getting out. And... that's it, that's the story. Though I'm willing to admit that arcade-style games don't necessarily need the deep plot elements to be good, I did find myself wishing that there was more here to sink one's teeth into . This is an indie release, and I know I know shouldn't expect high production values, but an animated cutscene or two in the style of the original CD-i Hotel Mario would've been great. Outside of that, I still think that a more integrated story would've pushed this game into greatness. Though I might be I'm pulling at the Hotel Mario connections a bit much, I have come across clips online that mention those inspirations directly. All that said, this game was developed by a single person, so I guess I should cut it some slack.

While part of me wants to describe Goliath Depot's gameplay as "Hotel Mario, but good", there's quite a bit more to it than that. Though my experience with Hotel Mario is very slight, I remember that game feeling more like a misguided attempt at a puzzle game rather than a pure arcade title. Or more accurately, it felt like someone took the original arcade Mario Bros. style gameplay and added puzzle gameplay elements to it. Goliath Depot takes the "close all doors to clear a level" concept and ran with it, not really caring to borrow much else from that ill-conceived game. That's probably for the best though, and it does give the game an 80s arcade vibe that mostly made me forget the comparisons after a level or two. You run, jump, close doors, and hide in open doorways. While you're unable to attack enemies directly, closing a door does set off shockwaves that stun any enemy in their path. Stunned enemies can then be kicked off screen in a very Mario Bros.-esque way, though they will eventually respawn. One hit is all it takes to kill you, and closing all doors opens the exit to the level. A constantly ticking timer makes sure that you're always moving fast. The game is separated into 40 levels, which are further separated into 4 groupings, and the final level of each is a boss encounter. Taking out bosses requires a lot more techniques than standard enemies, but the same rules apply when it comes to stunning them with closed doors. I guess the only thing I didn't really cover is the ability to hide in doorways, but I have to admit that it was a skill that I barely used. If it had been assigned to the up button I might've remembered it being a thing, but it being assigned to a random face button made me forget about it most of the time. Hiding in doorways does what you'd expect, as it puts into the background and out of harm's way. While that overview of gameplay sounds rather simple (because it really is), there's still more worth discussing.

Each level in the game has coins scattered about it, and collecting them works towards several goals. Most importantly, coins are used to continue the game if you lose all your lives. You're actually required to clear all ten levels in one go if you want to move onto the next part of the game. This is often easier said than done, since a really hard level can easily snatch all your lives in one go. If you find yourself facing a game over screen, you're able to continue at the cost of 25 coins. Seeing as each level only has about 10 or so, this means that you'll have to complete several levels before you're able to continue, and you'll have a limited number of them too. Besides that, any coins you have in your inventory when you clear an area are added to a central pool that can be used to purchase skill upgrades. These skills give you the ability to drop down to a level beneath you, allow you to perform a double jump, and so on. These skills can make the game considerably easier when applied, but you're only to use one of them at a time. I personally found that aspect of the skills system the most annoying, and it made it feel like having them included at all was rather pointless. At the very least though, you're only required to purchase them one time and they're available from then on. Lastly, coins are simply collectables that can be used to unlock achievements or point bonuses. I never really bothered with them during my time with the game, but there are several achievements and unlockables that are tied to being able to play the game well. I'll get into how I feel about getting this in just a bit, but there's actually quite a lot of things to unlock in-game if you're able to. Also, even though taking out enemies can be rather fun, there are many challenges that require you to not kill any enemies. Though this might sound counter-intuitive to playing the game, it does make for a greater challenge.

I had a blast playing Goliath Depot, but it always seemed like random difficulty spikes would kill any fun I was having just as things were getting good. Probably due to the fact that I didn't understand the controls very well early on, especially that hiding mechanic, I found myself repeatedly failing the first set of levels when I first started the game. It took me three tries to get it right, and from then on I had strategies to run through those same levels to farm coins so I could unlock all the skills. Though I did get better at it, those shifts in difficulty never really went away. I had the exact same issues with the second set of levels, and the third and fourth as well. Not only did I think that some of the levels were designed rather poorly, such as the one that places a spring under you that sometimes gltiched out, the fact that you had to clear all the levels with only a handful of lives felt rather cheap to me. While I'm not saying that the game should've included an easy mode, I couldn't help but feel that the normal difficulty seemed a bit high. This wouldn't really be an issue if it weren't for the fact that a lot of the game is tied to being able to play the game in a close to expert fashion. Even though you can reach the ending without having unlocked a single achievement or color for your characters, the fact that so many of said unlockables are tied to skill-based challenges rubbed me the wrong way. I know that this me mentioning all this will probably result in "git gud!" type rebuttals, but it made me feel that this game isn't really meant for the casual players, at least a big chunk of it isn't. There isn't even a lot of game here when you get down to it either. Each level is a single screen, and the game could probably be beaten in about an hour if it weren't for the difficulty.

Gameplay issues aside, Goliath Depot is the perfect example as to how one pulls of the retro-inspired look correctly. It has an art style that looks like it belongs to a long-lost arcade classic, but it also has a lot of modern touches that make it pass into amazing. Everything is colorful, the enemy designs look great, and I appreciated the variety between the characters. The bosses also all look large and imposing, and the levels manage to all feel different from each other too. There are no performance issues to note at all as well, and I was truly impressed that my Switch never had a single hiccup no matter what was happening on screen. I guess I have to mention that this visual style might be something of an acquired taste, but I truly can't believe that there is someone out there who wouldn't appreciate the pixel art on display here. I honestly have nothing bad at all to say about the visuals, so I'll just move on.

Perhaps I should've praised the music at the same time as the graphics, as I'm about to say some very similar things on that front too. Goliath Depot has the expected chiptune soundtrack you'd get in a game like this, but one that sounds like it could be listened to outside of the context of the game. Every single track is an earworm, and there were several that I found myself humming long after I had put the game down. I'm not exaggerating when I say that there isn't a single bad track in the bunch, and I intend to look into picking up the soundtrack as soon as I'm done with this review. Outside of music, the game's sound effects are just as good. There’s some satisfying thunks when you kick an enemy, the coin sound sets off all the right serotonins, and even the door slamming sound is spot on. I might've appreciated a vocal sample or two to round out that 80s arcade vibe, but I'm totally fine with what's here.

Though part of me still feels that Goliath Depot isn't a game truly meant for casual players, I still feel that I have to give it a solid recommendation. I had a lot of fun playing it, and I think it's going to stay in my rotation for quite a while. I didn't even mention multiplayer, but the entire game can also be played with a friend. There's honestly an insane amount of content here, and its current $6.99 price makes picking it up a no-brainer. Grab it now and thank me later. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a glance at the CD-i catalog and take a guess as to what game next deserves an actually good spiritual successor...

Check Out Goliath Depot on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/goliath-depot-switch/

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Story: B
Gameplay: B-
Graphics: A+
Music/Sound: A+
Value: A

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A fun arcade-style game that plays like an updated (and actually good) version of Hotel Mario.
+ The boss fights were a nice break from the standard gameplay formula.
+ Great graphics and multiple character options make this a feast for the eyes.
+ The music is amazing, and there isn't a bad song in the entire soundtrack.
+ In-game multiplayer gameplay, achievements, unlockable skills and modes, and lots more make this very replayable.

Cons:
- The level of difficulty can sometimes be unforgiving. While most players will be able to beat it easy enough, much of it seems angled to the hardcore.
- Some levels feel downright evil in terms of level design.
- Not being able to use multiple skills at once makes that entire system feel rather pointless.
- Though not necessary to complete the game, most of the achievements feel impossible to achieve due to them requiring near-perfect runs.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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