Need more!!!
Reviews for "about-face"
Cool game... needs the Continuation!!! Continuation!!! Continuation!!!
Games like RGB (I think that's the name) and Time Fcuk have always messed around with perspective and shifting through space, but what really builds the challenge is the fact that your ability to shift is also tied into your ability to jump making it so that you have to be certain on your decision before you make it. Jumping into a platform without addressing the risks or the procedure could be more devastating than you realize until the moment is too late. In a sense, these games are always a combination of trial and error with puzzles; and although shifting through planes isn't new or interesting, the unique twist of that jump into the unknown is what makes a simple concept feel as though it has a profound change.
Even though the story and the gameplay mash decently, I can't say it lands a very strong impact. Geared towards completion, I was more compelled by power ups and the corresponding change in puzzles rather than connecting the moral or symptom to the complexity of the inner workings of the game. I enjoyed it for the mechanical nature and very skilled level design and progression, not for the story allegedly intrinsic to the way the game plays.
In sad news, I couldn't tell if the game was supposed to have a cinematic ending of any kind because I would get stuck in the blocks and it would just infinitely spiral back and forth instead of progressing. I wasn't sure if it was the game failing to load my inputs fast enough and what I was watching was the resultant lag, or if it was intentional. Either way, it didn't communicate very well, and after several attempts with the same result, I quit.
For people who enjoy puzzle platformers this is a great game, and for people trying to philosophize the events that take place and give them meaning that can be cool as well. But even though I can enjoy these things, I don't recommend it for someone who doesn't want to put in the effort or deal with the overtones of emotional distress.
So just as a bonus here's my attempt to grasp at the meaning within the game:
Emotion is inconsistent. People are so involved in their Happiness that they supersede the notion that sadness, anger, dissatisfaction, are all wheels designed to function together as a counter method to any situation that arises. A fairly important work in psychology and neurology is the understanding of complex emotional structure. If you've seen the movie "Inside Out" you know what I'm writing about. Happiness doesn't work without sadness, and the emotions don't have to be dis-involved with one another. And on top of this there is no reason to avoid sadness or anger, because it makes us who we are and it is often the solution or change of face to approach the new threats and turmoil of the ever changing world we live in.
That's my thesis.
This game shows how people deal with challenges they are facing. The game design is simple yet novel and makes me wanna go on despite the numbers of failures I made. The music kinda creepy, but suits the game well. I had difficulty with the control (maybe because I am right handed). Over all, this game is really inspiring for a game developer like me.
Keep up the good work :)
great idea and unique mechanics :D