I walked into my Goldman session with a strange mix of curiosity and déjà vu. Last year, the hand-drawn platformer was one of those hidden gems that left me unexpectedly impressed, the kind of game that sticks in your head because it feels personal rather than manufactured. Coming back to it at Gamescom this year, I wasn’t just greeted by the same striking animation style, but by a world that has grown into something much bigger, much bolder.
The visuals remain the first thing you notice. Everything is still drawn by hand, in a way that immediately recalls Cuphead and the golden age of Disney, but without ever feeling like a copy. There’s no AI trickery, no shortcuts just honest craftsmanship on display in every frame. The polish has noticeably tightened since last year’s build, and the result is a game that radiates authenticity.
The biggest new addition is the world map. Instead of a flat sequence of levels, the game now unfolds across a series of islands, each of them shaping how you play. Some are short and sharp, half-hour challenges that focus on a single new skill. Think of them as condensed platforming gauntlets that teach you something fresh before asking you to master it. Others are sprawling adventures that can take four to five hours, structured more like a metroidvania. These bigger islands invite you to explore, to backtrack with your new abilities, to push into hidden corners and see how the world transforms as your toolkit expands. It’s a clever way of keeping both the pace and the variety alive.
One of the most striking examples is Fish Island, a hub space that ties different threads together. Merchants, quests, and side characters give it a sense of community, but it also evolves as you grow. Learn how to crawl, for example, and suddenly new paths open up in the same familiar area. That constant layering of discovery gives the game a rhythm that keeps you moving forward, without the downtime that often drags metroidvanias down. Even the way new skills are introduced feels considered short, playful tutorial segments that slot seamlessly into the flow of the game.
And while the mechanics are impressive, the story quietly promises something more emotional. Behind Goldman’s fantastical journey lies the image of a sick child in a hospital, inventing this world together with his mother. It’s only hinted at for now, but that framing gives the platforming an unexpected weight. What could have been just another stylish indie now carries the potential to hit you on a much deeper level.
What I played at Gamescom felt both familiar and brand new. The platforming segments are as inventive as ever, constantly shifting and surprising, while the metroidvania structure gives the whole project more room to breathe. Combined with the gorgeous hand-drawn animation, the emotional undercurrent of its story, and the careful polish that shows the developers are taking their time, The Eternal Life of Goldman is shaping up to be something special. This isn’t just one to keep an eye on it’s one I’m already eager to dive back into.
