So Many Me – First Impressions

So Many Me is the latest puzzle platformer to hit the Xbox One store. The story revolves around a strange green blob named Filo and his band of clones. Conveniently, the clones can turn into cubes that allow you to make your way through each level. You can also do other things with your clones, like turn into an adorable dinosaur. So, yeah, this game is pretty great.

The visuals are probably the best part of So Many Me. Filo is ridiculously adorable, and so are all of his friends. Did I mention the dinosaur? It’s worth mentioning again, because it’s insanely cute. As for gameplay, So Many Me doesn’t bring much new to the table. This is a standard side-scrolling puzzle platformer, and it’ll feel instantly familiar with anyone who has ever played one. Consequently, the game finds itself struggling to find ways to stand out among the thick crowd of similar games. It succeeds, though, because there is a lot of heart and personality in each level.

The gameplay in So Many Me is as smooth as one would expect from an Xbox One game, and jumping around feels awesome. Turning into blocks is fun, too, and figuring out how to solve certain puzzles and reach certain areas is the best part of the game. Switches, barriers, moving platforms, surfaces covered in spikes, and more hazards will try to rip you apart, and they’ll probably succeed quite a few times – some of the levels are surprisingly complicated, especially towards the end of the game. Don’t worry, though – death doesn’t carry too heavy a penalty. You’ll just have to start over at the last checkpoint, and checkpoints are very frequent.

Resource management is really the name of the game in So Many Me. You only have a limited number of clones, and you’ll have to be careful in how you use them. You might find yourself needing a boost to reach a ledge only to remember that you transformed your last clone into a block to hold down a button. You’ll find yourself backtracking a lot, and getting through levels isn’t a quick, easy trip from left to right – there’s a lot to do and see in each level, and it’s the care that has been put into these levels that make the game feel right. Even though there isn’t a whole lot here that we haven’t already seen in other games, it’s obvious that the developer of So Many Me really gave it their all to make it feel fresh.

So Many Me is available for download on Xbox One (and on Steam) right now, and Xbox Live Gold members can download the game for free through August 15. If you’re a gold member, definitely give this one a download – it’s free, so why not? If you’d be paying the full price of $14.99 for the game, though, I’d definitely watch some gameplay before making the purchase. It’s a really great title, but some players might not feel that it’s worth the asking price – though, personally, I think it is. If you really enjoy your time with So Many Me, you can add twelve additional levels by buying the “Mystery of the Skulls” DLC for just $2.99. Whether you’re paying for it or getting it for free, you’re in for an enjoyable platforming experience.