Mable and the Wood's titular adventurer has been resurrected by a cult and tasked with murdering her way through a world infested by monsters in an attempt to save it. There's just one pretty significant problem: Mable can't even carry her big, magical sword. That's where the monsters can unwittingly lend a hand.
In her regular human form, Mable has to drag her sword behind her, unable to handle the hefty blade, but she's not without her tricks. When you kill a boss, you can steal its powers and shape, unlocking new paths in the Metroidvania maze and making it easier to kill the monsters barring the way.
By transforming into Mable's fairy form, for instance, you can deftly leap over enemies, recall the sword and then watch as it cuts through them. Becoming a mole, meanwhile, gives Mable claws that can dig through walls, opening up new areas. Medusa, a spider and more monsters can be killed and copied.
You don't need to murder everything, though. Ignore the cult and you can go your own way, discovering non-combat routes and multiple endings. You can also screw everything up and hasten the end of the world. Nice job.
It looks very precise. It's brisk, but there's a lot of leaping around, course-correcting in mid-air and trying to perfectly time your grappling hook (no doubt pilfered from the spider) or sword recall while you're dodging a boss's assault. I rather like the 'hide underground' strategy that's shown off in the trailer. Enemy charging at you? Just dig a big hole and escape.
Mable and the Wood will hit Steam this summer.
