Story:
So there's no in-depth story to this game but there is an overarching one. Playing as the hero you travel across islands in the sky, each string of islands leading you to an artifact piece with the goal of assembling the entire thing.
Though there is no real story exploration beyond what you are presented, the world and the concept that the team have created gives the game an excellent feel left me wanting to know more about the world Zephyr is set in.
The hero isn't given a name in-game so I was sort of left wondering if Zephyr was the name of the world if it was the hero's name, not a big deal in a small game of course.
Graphics:
The graphics are simple but very neat and well done. There were no graphical errors in the game which is pleasant since I've played similar games before where I've been able to see inside my own arms or triple-a titles where parts of the world disappear.
The artwork is great and helps to create a feeling of awe and solitude in as you race your way through long abandoned islands in the sky.
Gameplay:
The core of Zephyr is the gameplay as it is with any speed-run style game. The mechanics are simple and straightforward, though there is a tutorial offered on the menu, the controls and mechanics are so intuitive that I'd be surprised if anyone couldn't figure out how to operate the game within a few seconds of the the first level.
The level design starts off very easy and forgiving, but quickly escalates into more difficult and I daresay frustrating layouts and designs. When I say frustrating of course I don't knock the game, simply my own failure to complete a basic jump resulting in a restart the followed by the same failure again. The game is fast paced enough that dying over and over isn't really a set back, though at one point when I made a mistake right at the end of the final level I wished there were checkpoints, I think the levels aren't long enough to actually warrant this.
The introduction of traps and the possibility to take multiple routes to your goal through use of your abilities and a willingness to die for experiments your presents you with opportunities to shave down your run-times. It also allows for multiple runs and increases the replayability of the game.
When I had watched a video of the game I was bothered by the arm movement as I felt it looked a great deal like a man doing an impression of a train. However, when actually playing the game myself I found that the gameplay was engaging enough that I either didn't notice the arm movement at all. It might be that watching someone else play it removed me from the more important aspects of the game.
My only real gripe with the game was when I used the teleport ability I would sometimes find that I wasn't close enough to reach anything, after the slow-down times out if I used the teleport again the slow-down wouldn't activate and I would quickly plunge to my death. There may have been an intentional cool-down on the time slow to stop people abusing the feature, but if there was I didn't know about it - perhaps it was explained in the tutorial I skipped.
When taking into consideration that the development team are students with busy schedules who are learning as they create, I would give the game a solid 4/5. The game was smooth and had no bugs and would definitely serve as an excellent time-killer if I had 10-15 minutes to wait for something.
I very much enjoyed the game even if it was a bit short.