Find the truth about this unfamiliar world
The Struggle of Trust is a free action-adventure video game that lets you explore unknown lands in search of the truth. Developed by Rushab Roihan and Humaiyun Uddin of SoftFrame, this side-scroller indie game is a Metroidvania platformer title that offers puzzles and mysteries to solve, as well as a vibrant pixel art style reminiscent of JRPGs. You’re encouraged to make use of attack combos in order to handle the numerous enemies you’ll encounter.
Be on your toes
In The Struggle of Trust, you wake up as an unnamed character who feels uneasy about their surroundings. So far, everything looks normal but something doesn’t feel right to you—from the lethargic state of your body to your mother’s appearance. Armed with only a sword, you decide to venture out and find answers to the questions that plague you. Fortunately, the in-game tutorial assists you in becoming familiar with this world.
Much of the controls use the keyboard and the mouse is only for navigating the Pause menu. To move, press the arrow keys—with the Down key letting you look beneath your platform. The E key is for interacting with objects and NPCs, the C key is for somersaulting or rolling forward to enter small spaces, and the Z key is for slashing with your sword. Meanwhile, Shift is for dashing and Spacebar is for jumping.
The gameplay and combat are similar to fast-paced platformer games like Metroid. You have to jump and dash around in order to land clean combos against the various monsters. You can also traverse difficult terrain by jumping and pushing off walls—although this can be tricky to master. There’s no support for controllers so the controls may be confusing at first, too. However, the environment design and art style really make it enjoyable to play.
Needs some more features
All in all, The Struggle of Trust can feel a bit intimidating to players who aren’t familiar with Metroidvania platformer combat mechanics but it has substance beyond its gameplay. Its gorgeous pixel art and the wide variety of locations and enemies available make your adventure a fun challenge. Its plot of finding answers and solving some puzzles make it enticing to continue playing, too.
