Anodyne was an excellent game; so excellent it was featured on our Games of the Week. Developers Analgesic Games were at PAX Prime this year showing off their upcoming game, Even the Ocean. This new game harkens back to the punishing, difficult platformers of the 8 and 16-bit eras.
The game has some excellent pixel art, with some rather pretty levels. Like Anodyne the game has a very surrealist look to it, as is the game’s premise. You’re playing a character Aliph exploring the inside of a girl’s mind, the eponymous Even. The premise leads to a game that keeps its feet planted in art, but it is well designed enough to be a great game even without learning a thing about the story.
The gameplay is solid old school platforming. You explore levels using your shield to block energy bolts, which are two different colors. If your bar fills with all one color, you die. However, if you absorb more of one than the other, the way your character moves changes. One way increases your speed at the expense of your jumping, and with the other way you jump higher but move slower. The game is pretty challenging, but rewards observation and planning.
Even the Ocean is expected to be out sometime in 2014 for the PC and Mac. Check out the game’s page on Facebook.