In an ancient and forgotten world, you are what remains… How far will you go to uncover the truth?
On May 30, 2024, in Courcelles, Belgium, Badass Mongoose released the reveal trailer for Helix: Descent N Ascent, a nonlinear, artistically styled adventure that promises to immerse us in a truly unique atmosphere.
A Black-and-White Adventure in Search of Truth
We find ourselves in an uninhabited world, playing as the last of a species resembling an alien.
This world, where our adventure begins, is an ancient, forgotten land full of mysteries. Our task is to explore, solve puzzles, and gradually progress in the quest for truth, uncovering what happened to our species and revealing all hidden secrets.
Exploration and attention to details, which may seem insignificant at first glance, will be crucial. This way, we will fully unveil and know the depth of a deserving story.
The cryptic adventure we will face, leading us to explore and uncover secrets, will allow us to investigate the fate of this lost civilization through the collection of artifacts, responding to an eerie call guiding us along the way.
The spirit of the past and melancholy are key elements of Helix: Descent N Ascent, inviting us to confront perspectives on identity, solitude, and emotions.
Its artistic choice highlights the world of contrasts in Helix: Descent N Ascent: a completely black-and-white style, where hatching and patterns reminiscent of comic book textures achieve shading. Scenes come to life and take shape with just black ink on white paper.
Helix: Descent N Ascent draws aesthetic inspiration from 1980s black-and-white indie comics, 1990s manga, and 1970s Franco-Belgian comics.
This aesthetic contrast is also symbolic, as black and white represent light and darkness, implying a fundamental balance between good and evil, which I find very intriguing.
The story is wordless but promises depth and reflective insights, capable of conveying everything through the atmosphere created by its evocative and powerful music, as well as the paintings in which we will navigate.
Reflective and Non-Violent Gameplay
In Helix: Descent N Ascent, you progress in a nonlinear fashion, combining your powers to solve puzzles, uncover secrets, and unlock various worlds.
There are three important things to focus on: exploration, revealing secrets, and combining powers.
Exploration and artifact collection will provide a progressively clearer picture of the story, bringing to light personal reflections that take on universal tones and become true philosophical questions. Using imaginative storytelling, the game highlights significant themes, such as the importance of memory and self-knowledge through understanding one’s past, both personal and collective.
The abilities we possess will allow us to interact meaningfully with the surrounding environment in a reactive world. We will need to sharpen our wits to solve numerous puzzles that present themselves, each step bringing us closer to uncovering the dark mystery we find ourselves in at the beginning of the story.
We can combine 5 abilities in 25 distinct ways through multiple levels of complexity. These combinations will enable us to solve puzzles and progress through thoughtful and non-violent gameplay.
What to Expect
Helix: Descent N Ascent will be available in 2025 for PC and Nintendo Switch, thanks to Badass Mongoose, a studio based in Belgium, founded in 2022 and led by veterans in graphic design and the conception of original video games with innovative gameplay and engaging graphics.
There are currently no demos available, and the game’s length is unknown. However, I am fairly certain it will not be excessively long, which might be advantageous, allowing for an intense and complete experience in a single session.
Personally, I expect it to feature deep and well-written storytelling. As for the graphics and music, we can already get a clear idea of their quality. The drawings, despite their apparent simplicity in monochrome, are perfectly executed—clean, precise, detailed, and original.
I would like to conclude with the words of the two co-founders of Badass Mongoose to provide an even clearer and more truthful idea of their intentions.
Cedric De Muelenaere said, “Helix is a story we’ve wanted to tell for a long time, one that offers a rich narrative enveloped in an original art style dear to our hearts. With our game, our purpose is to surprise players with deeper meaning and thoughtful story layers.”
Gillian Sampont added, “Helix: Descent N Ascent provides innovative and varied ways of solving mysteries and puzzles. We aim to reward players’ observational skills and creativity through the gameplay.”
What can I say… I am really curious to try this new adventure, rich in symbols and meanings, which partly reminds me of titles like Skaramazuzu, which I enjoyed immensely.
If you want to know more:
Helix: Descent N Ascent officiale website
