You can feel the intricacy of a delicate and sublime, typically unseen other world that helps to create a synchronicity between the visual and audio experience in this game.
While functional and minimalist to an extent, the moments that highlight the inner life of simple things like a drink cooler or a cafe patio are both compelling and evocative. Graphics in ISLANDS: Non-Places are a featured device for conveying the atmospheric little ecosystems that breathe life into each mundane scenario. After clicking on the requisite item or items, it unlocks the next link in the chain of events you are to witness.ĭespite its very casual and simplistic nature, the gameplay in ISLANDS: Non-Places is the very definition of perfection for what it has set out to accomplish.Rather than get in the way, it seamlessly guides you through your 45 minute or so journey.
These take the form of either flickering lights or moving objects. This is accomplished by simply clicking on anomalies in the little islands of mundanity provided. You are simply guiding the game along its chosen path. What you realize early on however, is that this is a game about experience rather than challenge. At its core, ISLANDS: Non-Places is a casual puzzle game. The gameplay in ISLANDS: Non-Places is simply a means to an end. Essentially, it is meant to convey an evocative if brief moment of reflection and introspection So, while there isn't an actual story per se, the depth of experience bears witness to a more transcendental, subjective tale. Not only the mechanics of it, but also the natural interactions of dirt, tree roots, and so on. As you explore underneath the fountain, you start to see all the moving pieces and natural interactions that make the fountain what it is. For example, one of the puzzles begins with an idyllic fountain. It goes into great detail, both visually and audibly, allowing the player a glimpse at what could lie underneath seemingly mundane places and circumstances. The story in ISLANDS: Non-Places isn't really a story told, but rather a sensibility conveyed. So, without further ado, let's get to the meat of this game review. After playing through it, my first reaction was, "what did I just witness?" Upon further reflection however, I realized that ISLANDS: Non-Places carried an almost intricate and yet surprisingly delicate sense of depth. Initially, my thoughts were that the game looked really cool and was quite bizarre. I saw ISLANDS: Non-Places on Steam yesterday, and seeing as how I'm always in the market for a new gaming experience, I thought I would go ahead and grab it, see what it had to offer. ISLANDS: Non-Places, Transcendent Mundanity
0 kommentar(er)
