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Short Gaming Review | Morphies Law – Size matters in this weird and wacky indie game

Teaser
Morphies Law not only brings unusual gameplay but also a weird, yet fresh and refreshing comic-style design. Read on to find our thoughts about this first-person shooter multiplayer in this short review.

Morphies Law is a team-based first-person shooter developed by Cosmoscope. The game has an interesting approach, with it being all mass and size. Hitting an enemy resulted in their mass being transferred to your character, specifically the body part that has been hit. Limbs and body parts grow or shrink as the game progresses, which sounds rather gimmicky. However, there are some tactical considerations that make the gameplay fun and continually interesting.

Cosmoscope released Morphies Law last year to a bumpy start as too few players were signing into its servers. As a massively multiplayer game, Morphies Law relies on having innumerable volumes of people playing simultaneously. The uptake of new players proved slow, with Cosmoscope only releasing initial numbers two weeks ago of how many people were playing Morphies Law. As of August 10, 2019, Morphies Law had 2,200 daily players with over 9,200 people having already downloaded the game to either the PC or Nintendo Switch.

Genre & Gameplay

The gameplay of Morphies Law introduces new game concepts and changing abilities during gameplay with it. Shooting an enemy’s legs lengthen yours, for example, allows you to jump higher than you otherwise could do. Likewise, you can use a big hand as a grappling hook, but size not only brings benefits, but it makes one an easier target. Conversely, smaller players are naturally harder to hit. Moreover, certain in-game areas are only accessible when shrunken, so certain tactical considerations are worth keeping mind when trying to reach specific areas.

The size of different body parts have their advantages.
The size of different body parts have their advantages.
The playable character Wittgenstein has probably already landed some headshots and hit the left arm of the opponent.
The playable character Wittgenstein has probably already landed some headshots and hit the left arm of the opponent.

Cosmoscope sets Morphies Law in colourful fantasy maps of Mexico, of which there are currently eight. The developer bases the characters on "Dia de Muertos", i.e. the Day of the Dead. Specifically, the characters have stylised skulls, which can expand and contract according to whether you have been hit. Cosmoscope has also done a good job of scoring the background music, with it adding to the ambience of the game.

Technology

Morphies Law is playable on Windows 7, 8, 10 (64-bit) and the Nintendo Switch. Ideally, Cosmoscope would have made the game crossplay-capable, but its current following does not appear to be strong enough to justify the development time and costs of doing so. We tested the PC version of Morphies Law, for reference.

The PC version has only the essential settings, with there being fewer graphics settings than sound options. The game can be set to various resolutions, along with four graphics presets. There is also anti-aliasing, but that is it.

Morphies Law has limited hardware requirements too, with Cosmoscope recommending at least an Intel Core i5-3470 or an AMD FX-4350 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti (1 GB) or a Radeon HD 6870 (1 GB). Morphies Law also requires just 2 GB of storage.

Lange müssen wir uns nicht in den Grafikeinstellungen aufhalten, denn viel gibt es nicht zu verstellen.
Lange müssen wir uns nicht in den Grafikeinstellungen aufhalten, denn viel gibt es nicht zu verstellen.

Gameplay

Before getting into gameplay, you must personalise your morphia, the playable character in Morphies Law. Some character adjustments can be made immediately, but other equipment and weapons must be earned either by ascending levels or by spending the in-game currency. The latter, called nuts, are obtained by simply playing the game or successfully completing missions.

The higher level you attain, the more customisation choices Morphies Law gives you.
The higher level you attain, the more customisation choices Morphies Law gives you.
You can purchase upgrades with in-game “nuts" though.
You can purchase upgrades with in-game “nuts" though.
Some equipment is only unlockable once you have reached certain levels.
Some equipment is only unlockable once you have reached certain levels.

Some of these missions include travelling 150 metres in a game with your ass rocket or finish the game six times as the biggest player. The game will award trophies for completing these missions, with you also able to win a Pinata containing various surprises if you win three trophies within a week.

Completing daily missions earns in-game currency and Pinatas.
Completing daily missions earns in-game currency and Pinatas.

Cosmoscope integrates five game modes, a screenshot of which we have included below. Essentially, you can choose between local multiplayer, offline against the computer or online. Most people will probably pick the online quick match mode, where they are thrown together with other players on a worldwide server. There are also four game types to choose from, a screenshot of which we have included below.

Morphies Law offers five different game modes.
Morphies Law offers five different game modes.
From which you can then select the match you would like to play.
From which you can then select the match you would like to play.
One such mode is called Headhunting.
One such mode is called Headhunting.

Morphies Law currently has eight maps and divides players into two teams, either Team Red or Team Blue. We played the game on the map Fan Antonio, which contains a small village with narrow streets and tall buildings on a mountain. Large fans make it difficult to run around since you can either be blown towards the abyss below or thrown against a blanket equipped with wooden posts. As mentioned earlier, you can access different parts of the map according to your size, which adds an element of tactics to Morphies Law that other battle royale games lack. You also receive XP points and in-game currency for every kill or for achieving mission goals.

Verdict

The indie game is ideal to have some fun in between more serious gaming. The XP points and upgrade system in Morphies Law may sway some people to stay a while longer. Overall, Morphies Law is a refreshing experience, especially for those who have had enough of realistic shooters. However, multiplayer-heavy games like Morphies Law rely on strong sales, as they will be empty experiences without a host of players roaming the in-game map.

Cosmoscope has developed an entertaining and fun online multiplayer that can be played offline too. It is more fun against real opponents though, and not just against the computer.

Morphies Law is not short of competitors, with the likes of PUBG and Fortnite dominating the battle royale market. However, Cosmoscope has developed unique gameplay with crazy graphics that should appeal to many people. Morphies Law is available to buy on Steam or the Nintendo Switch store for $19.99.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Morphies Law – Size matters in this weird and wacky indie game
Daniel Puschina, 2019-08-28 (Update: 2019-08-28)