Double Take: Triple Take Demo Preview

retrogamergirl and Artura Dawn (Retro Dawn) have teamed up to check out a demo for a new game coming to Steam. Did the demo leave them wanting more or did it make them want to move on to the next thing?

Today, Retro Dawn is doing a Double Take of Triple Take.

Retro: I swear I didn’t plan out the names that way. I honestly thought the trailer for Triple Take made it look like the perfect game for us to check out for our new series. A challenging 8-bit platformer seemed like it would be a title both of us could enjoy! Though I promise that we won’t only choose demos for games that we are pretty much guaranteed to like!

Triple Take is a 2D 8-bit platformer that looks very simplistic with its stages being only in two colours, starting with black and white then changing the white for brighter colours as the game progresses — at least that’s what I see in the trailer for the game. There are multiple blocks and spikes placed around the level, and your goal is to capture the flag at the end. Once you do, that level changes, taking some of the blocks out or adding new hazards for your second run. Complete the second attempt and you have to do the level one more time, finishing your “Triple Take” and unlocking the next level.

You control your character using the WASD or arrow keys on your keyboard and the spacebar to jump; sounds easy enough but don’t get fooled, this game is incredibly challenging! Normally I always use a controller when I am playing games, so trying to use the keyboard was a little unfamiliar to me, especially when your moves need to be precise or you are dead. So it took me a lot longer to get through the levels than someone who does a lot of keyboard gaming and is used to that control scheme. A lot of times I felt frustrated when I was trying to wall jump and get across to the next platform; my character didn’t always jump when I wanted them to so I’m hoping for the full game this gets tightened up a bit.

The story in Triple Take is very original and really interesting. I don’t want to spoil anything, but at one point you are required to move some files stored to your actual real-life computer to get access to the next section of the game, which was great! I’ve never had to do something crazy like this in a game before! I can’t wait to see how the story progresses in the full game.

This demo is definitely worth trying out for people who love to play games like Super Meat Boy and Celeste. It definitely gets frustrating at times but it kept pulling me back in to try another 50 times to get through that level. I was so curious to see what was going to happen next! I highly recommend when you are playing to be patient — especially when bullets are involved — and be sure to time your jumps. There were many occasions I would go running in and get shot by one of the many cannons placed to end my run!

Artura: I could not agree with retrogamergirl more on her viewpoints regarding the game; it’s challenging and very reminiscent of Celeste due to its precision platforming. Similarly to her, I played through the first part using the keyboard controls, before quickly rummaging through my belongings looking for my DualShock 4 — I would not suffer through a precision platformer with a keyboard again.

Having played through Celeste, I was terrified when I saw Triple Take's "precision platformer" tag. The pit in my gut further intensified when I woke up one day and a message was plastered on my Discord from retrogamergirl: "This is one of those infuriating games."

A repulsion built in my chest through memories of well over 1,500 deaths (yes, I counted) I'd experienced throughout my 14 hours of Celeste, equating to no less than 100 deaths per hour. Would I let my vendetta against precision platformers halt me from enjoying this challenge retrogamergirl had presented at my front door? Nought could stop me from experiencing this demo with her. I braved through the distaste left in my mouth against precision platformers, and I booted the game. Did I regret this decision?

As retrogamergirl mentioned above, Triple Take has some interesting mechanics where you will need to delve deep into computer files to move bits of data from one folder to another. Although we were only able to experience this once throughout our playthrough, I cannot wait to see how (or if) this system will evolve into the later stages of the game. However, according to the emphasis it received on the demo, I think it’s safe to assume that it will be an integral part of the full release.

Again as retrogamergirl mentions up above, the story is certainly interesting and I will not be talking too much about it. It is worth mentioning that it has cryptic tones to it that feel almost like a puzzle to decipher. Throughout the demo, the story remains predominantly obscure, as nothing is really spelled out for the player; however, piecing together the pieces of what the story could mean is certainly part of the experience.

Triple Take quite plainly and simply explains to you the controls with a tutorial level that feels very easy and self-explanatory; nothing of it felt unexplained nor majorly complex. One of the greatest charms about the game is how simple its demo was. With only the buttons to move and jump, it didn't feel like there was any particular overcomplication present in what is a great precision platformer. Not only was it simple enough to pick up, but that meant that the game never felt unfair in any of the 10 stages of which I was capable of playing, for I knew every mistake I made wasn't some janky mechanic but rather my own skill failing me; the simplicity was actually in large part what made Triple Take's demo charming.

Triple Take's gimmick is interesting. You have to play through each of the worlds three times and, each time you do, there are fewer platforms to jump on. Meaning that by the third "take", you have to be far more precise than on the first one, whilst also having to deal with some hazards due to the blocks that were stopping them before being gone. I sincerely enjoyed watching as the world crumbled around me, forcing me to play more carefully each time I completed it. I was actually disappointed once the levels opened new "sections" with the takes and didn't force me to pass through a harder version of the first one.

The precision platforming was incredibly fun; I had a blast exploring throughout the world to find how to get the page (the collectables present in each of the stages) with each coming take. The 10th stage, although brutal, showed promise for not only how much the game intends to kill me on its full release, but overall how incredibly fun precision platformers can be. It has re-inspired in me a desire to try Celeste, and tackle that mountain once again. Maybe this time, I’ll only die 1,400 times.

Overall, Triple Take felt like an absolute joy to play. Although I’m cautiously optimistic for the full release, I think the demo is absolutely worth checking out. I can’t vouch for how it will evolve — whether in a significantly harder direction like Celeste or not — but I can indubitably vouch for the demo; it’s short, action-filled, and good fun. Having said that, I know that both retrogamergirl and I were very likely to favour Triple Take, and I can’t wait to see what further challenges (and genres) await us.