Antichamber - a puzzle mindfuck game

[Mrowak]

Normally I am not a big fan of puzzle games. The reasons are complex and their name is Legion. The most important of those is the fact that most games insist on busy-work, and quite often boil to simple exercices of trial and error, whereby nothing but your patience is tested. However, for some time I've been following one special piece, which has subvereted the usual puzzle-game logic and in doing so it garnered lots of media attention and many 1st place awards at practically all gaming competitions it entered. I am talking here about Antichamber.

Initially I was doubtful, especially looking at all the press hipster buzz around it, but I must say, after learning a little bit I am impressed. Antichamber appears to be a first person perspective psychological puzzle game, and as such it is an experiment that aims to play on player's preconceptions and perceptions, challenging one's mind set and habits. From the videos I watched and previews I read it appears to offer mindfuck incarnate that words fail to describe. Let's just have a look at some vids, shall we?:

Spoiler

Frankly, after watching these, I think I am sold. It may not be fun in the usual "dumb-fun" kinda way but this type of experiments is something I immensely enjoy. A little bit of actual innovation (as opposed to "innovashun") is a good thing, ain't it?

 

[DwarvenFood]

Looks creative and not just for the sake of making "art" games, but creative gameplay. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[KidBoogie]

tb the biscuit man total "the cynical brit" halibit did a let's play of the game, looks really good imma def pick it up



it's also nice that the developer isn't a pretentious shitfucker, it reflects in the gameplay

 

[Berekän]

inbefore Metro

 

[Mrowak]

I played it a little bit. As expected - mindfuck!

 

[Clockwork Knight]

The developer describes it as a metroidvania in the TB video. He has my attention, now.

 

[Dire Roach]

I don't wanna watch spoilerish videos. Where's the demo?

 

[Jack]

I don't wanna watch spoilerish videos. Where's the demo?

Here.

 

[Dire Roach]

So I made it to the "ending" of Hazard, but there are still a bunch paths on the map that I didn't fully solve. Can the map on that version be 100% completed? I tried looking for guides online but all I could find were video walkthroughs that don't cover all the paths.

 

[Jack]

I cannot say for sure, but I'm fairly certain that you need the gun thing for some of them, so I don't think so.

 

[Gerrard]

Trolled softly.


Great game, gave me back some faith in indie developers.

 

[Konjad]

When I saw screenshots, the game did not seem to be of much interest to me, especially because I don't like puzzle games.

I did enjoy Portal though, so I decided to give Antichamber a go. This game has no story, and a very simplistic visuals. Audio does add to the atmosphere though. The game begins with extremely easy tasks, but the difficulty slowly raises the further you go. What surprised me is that this is not a portal clone at all, whatever screenshots suggest, but it's a puzzle game nonetheless, and the chaces are that if you enjoyed Portal, then you will also enjoy Antichamber. To every puzzle you encounter there is a hint provided. Hints are philosophical reflections, which also give solutions to puzzles - but they are not straightforward and require some logical thinking (you may figure out every puzzle the first time without trial & error style of play - which was the case in Portal too many a time - but as the puzzles become more and more complex you will finally encounter ones that are too difficult for that, unless you are smarter than the developer or me at least). Fortunately, the philosophical reflections are not of 2deep4u kind, so you are not constantly molested with retarded stuff. They are very simple and kind of cute. It's like the guy who made this game wasn't a typical recluse indie developer suffering from affective disorders and egocentrism, but actually a reasonable and smart dude. The gameworld consist of multiple corridors, which branch in many ways and it's the player who chooses which way he prefers to go (or rather - how he solves puzzles, because they often have multiple solutions). At any time you may come back to any previously encountered puzzle and solve it again, perhaps in a different way leading you to another branch of the "chamber".

Overall, I enjoy this game a lot, despite my inner prejudice towards puzzle and adventure games.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Yeah, looking back Antichamber is really neat, through the "2deep4u" aspect may be a little...too deep.

It could be due a cheap trick a lá FEZ (where the completeion percentage may (not) be a fabricated number) but I've yet to hear of anyone find and beat every room of Antichamber.

 

[v1rus]

luv it so far

got me right into mood i needed after blow's witness

any recommendations of similar too deep 4 u games? (and by that, i mean well-designed deep4u games)

 

[Soulcucker]

The Swapper, Monument Valley (iOS/Android), and Echochrome (PS3/PSP). Miegakure if and when it comes out.