Giana Sisters: Twisted Dream PC Quick Look

Hey guys, The Gaming Wiz here to take a quick look at Giana Sisters: Twisted Dream on the PC.

Keep in mind that I’m a hardcore PC gamer at heart but love games that support the Xbox 360 controller so that I can play on my TV. And luckily, this game supports the 360 controller, just plug n play, no keybinding required. In fact, I would argue that it plays better with a controller than with a keyboard and mouse since the analog sticks provide greater movement sensitivity. This is especially important in platforming games since positioning your characters are important in, well, not getting killed.

PC Options

This game boasts a surprising number of PC options with the ability to rebind all the Xbox 360 button maps and keyboard controls. There’s a fair number of graphical options as well as sliders for individual music, sound effect volumes, etc. Eagle eyed readers will notice an option to change the music style. I’ll hit that up in a bit.

The Hype

The game revolves around the two sisters. One is cutesy, the other is punkish. Giana Sisters is a platformer and your objective is to collect all the gems and beat the occasional boss. You can switch between the two on the fly and this creates unique gameplay elements. Some parts maybe blocked and inaccessible and you get around that by switching to the other sister, often in mid air to progress the level and get all the gems.

The world changes based on which sister you have selected. So, if you have the cutesy sister selected, the world will turn grim and dark because she views the world that way. Switching to the punkish sister turns the world vibrant and cheerful because she isn’t afraid of the outside world. Even, even the monsters turn less threatening.

One thing the game does well is the soundtrack which, again, depends on who you have selected. The game sounds good once in full motion and you’re constantly changing between the two sisters and getting a mix mash of punk tunes with the cutesy music.

The developers have even released bonus levels, and one Halloween themed level.

Hype Buster

No co op, although this would have broken the game mechanic.

Gameplay can get a bit stale after a while since all you have to do is run around and collect gems. The switching between the two sister things may not be as fresh as in the beginning.

Game can require precision platforming and may get frustrating. The checkpoints are well placed so you do not die far away from the puzzle/platform section. But the platforming itself may get frustrating since you have to land your jumps perfectly and sometimes its unclear what the game wants you to do, at least for me.

The Bottom Line

A unique concept and excellent soundtrack. But not enough variety in gameplay to keep the hardcore gamer satisfied. Casual gamers may get frustrated with the precision platforming requirement.