Insurmountable is beautiful, engaging, clever, and a delight to play — even when I was halfway dead on the side of an icy peak and slowly dying of frostbite. It sounds like it would be tough to make that fun, but Insurmountable pulls it off.
Insurmountable’s 2.0 update brings all the missing content that the original release desperately needed; while the new stuff is anything but cozy, it is challenging, which is the exact kind of thing players who love survival games are looking for. Insurmountable revitalizes the tired roguelike genre with its new setting and careful, slow-going mechanics, but it can feel a bit stale after a summit or two so it’s best to play this one in short bursts. If you’re always searching for that something over the next mountaintop, Insurmountable is cooler than cool — it’s ice cold.
Insurmountable gains a new gameplay layer with the 2.0 update, which gives the experience a clearer structure and players more clear goals to aim for. Climbing peaks, with limited resources and careful planning, continues to be compelling. There are plenty of strategies to try out, many events to deal with, some mysteries to untangle. The problem is that there’s not enough variety, even with the newly added campaign structure. After 5 or 6 climbs, nothing is surprising. The player can try new synergies or new ideas, but the mountains remain largely the same. Insurmountable has a great concept and some solid mechanics but can struggle to entice players to reach more than one summit.
More unique events, more little plot threads to pull on and a greater variety of hazards, would all go a long way to elevate the climb. For now though, Insurmountable is a fun, if simple little experience, that’s perfect for those who want something chill to fill an hour or two.
Insurmountable is a very irregular experience, sometimes it succeeds in what it’s trying to achieve; sometimes it’s just boring. However, it’s a nice mix of genres with good ideas.
Insurmountable suffers from the “pretty syndrome”. Pretty nice graphics. Pretty good music. Pretty cool idea. Pretty solid execution. And pretty much no emotions. [07/2021, p.34]
SummaryConfront various terrains as a lonely mountaineer and endure the countless dangers of climbing! Many tough decisions await you in a risky environment. Make your way up and down the mountain, overcoming insurmountable heights.