Have you ever wondered what would happen if you put the whole Metroidvania underwater? Yes, I mean that literally; just put the entire gameplay element that makes a game Metroidvania and submerge it into the ocean. Are you still with me? So, when you are gasping for breath since you’re playing a submerged game, you can read my review of Pronty. Blub blub.
So, Pronty: Fishy Adventure is a 2D action-adventure game set under the ocean. In the near future, humans have successfully found a way to live underwater, and hundreds of cities under the sea will transform the sea bed into a modern Atlantis. But now the cities are in danger. Play as the protagonist, Pronty, and command your javelin partner Bront to protect the City of the Deep – Royla and unravel the mysteries behind the city. I will not talk too much about the story since it’s a pageturner in its unique way, and you need to discover this for yourself.
Ori and the Underwater Knight
Pronty: Fishy Adventure is unique because it “borrowed” elements from some other great Metroidvania and mixed them with a more digitally painted art style from the Bioshock series. To put it bluntly, two major systems of Pronty are copycats from two famous Metroidvania: the combat borrows from Ori and The Blind Forest, and the charm system from Hollow Knight. It even felt a bit like an underwater version of Ghost Song (or is it the other way around). A significant change in the combat system (compared to the other games) is that you can freely move to every corner of the room because of the aquatic setting. Combine this with the concept of Bront being a throwable javelin, causing the attack range to be more extensive. In addition, you can control where Bront goes.
Another gameplay element that only works because the game is set underwater is the location in which you position Pronty and Bront. Pronty is quite vulnerable, and Bront will only act on command. The duo is only strong when they work together. As for the charm system, it’s relatively simple. Hollow Knight goes a conservative way of having different builds in the form of regular attacks and soul attacks. In Pronty, however, the builds revolve around spamming attacks and how you want to spam that attack; corrosive, vampiric, double-strike with shadow, marking enemies and chain-marking, etc.
Artstyle
One of the other reviewers described Pronty’s art style as a bud. The bud blooms as you progress, gradually showcasing its color and beauty. And I think this is a great metaphor. Pronty starts in a plain blue ocean and then a browny shuttle, and I hear you thinking, that’s not so eye-catching. However, the beauty and personality envelop you once you reach Royal City. A prosperous underwater city now covered in garbage and pollution, a gruesome consequence of the greed and arrogance of humanity brings us to another good point of the game: the theme. Pronty takes the idea of a polluted ocean to an extreme, an ongoing issue we have at hand. This game can be served as a warning. This fictional scenario may become a terrible reality if we don’t do something about this situation. Hence my comparisons to the Bioshock art style (and theming).
A real challenge?
Pronty: Fishy Adventure isn’t on the easy side. Even for the more seasoned Metroidvania players (like myself). The difficulty feels just right – like a good challenge, without feeling punished or tedious like some of the other indie Metroidvania, for those that want to train for games like Hollow Knight (especially with Silk Song hopefully launching this year). The game also features an easy mode, making it a perfect game to get a feel for the Metroidvania genre – in a more unique setting. So overall, Pronty: Fishy Adventure is an excellent addition to the Nintendo Switch library and feels right at home with the other Metroidvania games. It shows how you can change a developed genre and turn it around 180 degrees. For fans of the genre, this is one you need to try.
