Thursday, November 21, 2013

PC Spotlight #51: Another Perspective

Title: Another Perspective
Developer: Shaun Spaulding
Platforms: PC
Price: $5
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Considering my love for puzzle platformers, you'd think I would have heard of Another Perspective before glimpsing it on Steam Greenlight. One viewing of the trailer was all I needed to check this game out, and I am  not disappointed. Another Perspective uses its unique mechanic to great effect, molding challenging puzzles with an interesting story.
You find yourself alone in a endless series of rooms. You're looking for something, but you don't remember what or why. Some doors are open for the start, while others require you to collect keys to unlock. Gathering these keys start out easy at first, your usual running and jumping...and then you're not alone anymore. You learn that you can swap places with a shadowy clone of yourself. Swapping leaves your clone stationary in that location, be it over a gap or next to ledge, allowing you to use your clone as a platform. The spatial puzzle platforming ramps up quickly in terms of pieces to consider and difficulty. Soon you're dealing with two clones, three clones, four. You're juggling multiple versions of rooms, each layout different depending on what clone you're controlling. You're unlocking gates and maneuvering through mirrored rooms. This isn't a precision platformer; the difficulty is all puzzle-based.
The cute but eerie art style adds to the game's charm and text displayed through the game slowly unravels a meta-philosophical story about the self. I played through the game in a good four to five hours and enjoyed every minute. There's really not much replay value but the experience is fun and challenging. You can purchase Another Perspective from the developer's site, Indie Game Stand, and other stores, and vote for the game on Steam Greenlight.

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