35MM Review - PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch

Russian roadtrip

35MM isn’t a game that looks great. In fact, it looks very dated here in 2022. It looks like it would have been more at home in the early days of the PS3 and Xbox 360.

But don’t judge a book by its cover, as they say, because you don’t know what treasure you’ll find inside it, and 35MM really is a bit of a treasure.

Game Information
Release Date: March 1st, 2022 (PSN) March 2nd (eShop) March 3rd (Microsoft Store)
Developer: Noskov Sergey
Publisher: Sometimes You
Availability: Microsoft Store, PSN, Nintendo eShop, Steam

It’s coming in at an unfortunate, time, however. At the time of this review going live, and at the time of 35MM’s release, Russia is waging war on Ukraine while we’re all still living in the dark Coronavirus days. How is this relevant? Well, 35MM takes place in a post-apocalyptic Russia, in a world where humanity has been ravaged by an unknown, Ebola-like virus.

Now you might think this is a cheap ploy to capitalise on these dark times, but 35MM was originally released way back in 2016. It’s just unfortunate timing for the console release.

Still, it seems oddly fitting and I think, for me at least, it works in the game’s favour. The story of a dark and depressing world hits harder now than it ever could have in my own lifetime.

35MM starts slow and steady and takes a bold decision to keep its opening 15 minutes relatively quiet, save for a few short exchanges between your character, Petrovich, and your travelling companion.

I’ll admit, I was a little put off by the lack of context, the dated presentation, and the slow opening, but as the story progressed and my friend and I made our way across the country, I found myself engrossed with this miserable world.

It’s hard to define exactly what 35MM is. It’s not a true walking simulator, though the main bulk of the gameplay experience is walking around solving simple puzzles and exploring the narrow world around you. Some chapters are a little more open than others with exploration and discovery being optional. Others are more straightforward, and in one case, literally on the rails as you and your mate ride an old-school motorised train along some tracks.

There’s combat with some bandits, but it’s hardly the focus and it’s ultimately quite forgettable, and if I’m honest, quite poor. The hand-to-hand scuffles play out as quick-time events that aren’t all that great. The animation is slow and janky, and it wasn’t obvious to me that the on-screen button prompts wanted me to mash the buttons rather than just give them a one-time press, which resulted in me doing the first combat encounter several times until, out of frustration, I hammered the buttons as they appeared on-screen.

Gun combat is also a bit naff, with slow and imprecise aiming. But again, it’s not the focus of the game, more a bit-part to help tell the bigger story of two dudes trying to survive in a world gone to shit.

It’s atmospheric and in a way, strangely nice to look at. The graphics aren’t anything to write home about, as I said, but the design with the harsh Soviet architecture, the many shades of grey, and the occasionally moving scenes are basically what I picture in my head when I think about what a post-apocalyptic Russia would look like. Thanks, Hollywood.

35MM isn’t without its flaws, then, but what is? It’s still a fantastic little game that offers a mature story that’s worth seeing through to the end, and one that is, sadly, more realistic than any game needs to be. I genuinely do think humanity would go to the potty very quickly if things went south any quicker than the world’s governments could handle, and 35MM gives a glimpse at what such a future could look like, all framed from within an already crumbling nation.

Maybe it’s about time schools started getting kids playing games like 35MM as part of their English and History lessons. I know I would have preferred it to reading and watching Of Mice and Men a dozen times for my final school year…

Review Disclaimer: This review was carried out using a copy of the game provided by the publisher. For more information, please read our Review Policy.

Primary version tested: PS5