Spindle Review
Death can ride a talking pig in pixel-art action-adventure Spindle.
Spindle. Credit: Wobble Ghost / Deck13
German indie team Wobble Ghost developed the charming Spindle, an action-adventure where you play Death, accompanied by a talking pig. Published by Deck13, this top-down pixel art adventure wears its A Link to the Past influences proudly while exploring themes of grief and mortality. It's a game that nails the fundamentals of dungeon design and ability progression in a way that makes it stand out in the genre.
You're a young boy named Dengel who suddenly finds himself transformed into Death, complete with scythe and hooded cloak. Nobody can die anymore in this world, and the souls left over are being corrupted by some dark force. With your pig companion, you set off to guide lost souls to their rest and help ferryman Charon investigate the cause. The narrative tackles heavy themes about processing grief and accepting mortality.
Spindle. Credit: Wobble Ghost / Deck13
Where Spindle shines is in the abilities you unlock throughout your journey. Not too far into the game, you gain the power to swap characters and control your pig directly. This opens up genuinely creative puzzle solutions that layer your abilities in satisfying ways, along with other fun abilities, such as turning things into stone. These and other powers feel unique for the genre. While combat in the game is basic, reliant on swinging your scythe, the boss battles are particularly inspired.
The world map is satisfying to explore and full of secrets to discover. The dungeons are cleverly designed and fun to complete, something that a lot of Zelda-likes don’t quite get right. None of the puzzles are difficult; I found myself getting lost on the world map more often than stumped on any particular challenge. The overworld exploration is reminiscent of early Zelda games, where you know the general direction but must find your own way.
Spindle. Credit: Wobble Ghost / Deck13
The pixel art is wonderful, with each environment feeling lovingly crafted and distinct. There's attention to detail everywhere; I particularly liked the touch of reflections, which show you as the other characters in the game see you, with your true nature as Death masked. The game also cleverly blends vectorized rotation into the pixel art, making it feel seamless, as seen in the animation of some bosses. This often bothers me in other games, but I thought it worked perfectly here.
Spindle doesn't reinvent the Zelda formula, but it executes it in a way that often feels novel. The story, unique abilities, and creative puzzles elevate the game beyond a simple clone. It’s fairly short at around 8 hours in length, a focused experience that delivered exactly what I wanted in this type of game.
Spindle is available now on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
Overall Score: 8/10
Played on: Steam Deck
