Damn dozen weird games

I love different games. For example, those that may surprise me. In this compilation, I listed games and almost games, in a good sense of the word, strange. I deliberately ignore the goats and bread simulators in the review, games with unusual graphic design (otherwise the article will burst at the seams) and very well-known games such as Dear Esther. And in no case do I claim to complete the presentation. Just offering to pass an hour or two during the holidays, if you are curious.

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SORTIE EN MER

^{2014
Developers: CLM BBDO, Grouek, Wanda Digital, Ben Strebel
Platform: Web}

Once the manufacturer of life jackets and protective clothing for fishermen Guy Cotten decided to order an advertisement in BBDO. The following can be imagined:
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- We came up with a great concept!
- I ask you to.
- In the ocean, a man falls from a yacht and begins to sink.
- Lifebuoy?
- Not.
- Lin?
- Yes wait! So, he beats his hands on the water, and the yacht with his friend sails into the distance and out of sight.
- Uh-uh ...
“Then the unfortunate goes to the bottom and his whole life flashes before his eyes ...”
- Ahem. Thank you, we will re ...
- And he tears off a burr along with half a nail!
- Lord, this is why?
- Drama!


I don’t know if the promotion met the client’s expectations and how many sailors are now looking askance at their partners, but the work turned out to be really beautiful. And the gaming component is only one: you have to constantly scroll, helping the sinking to hold onto the surface as long as possible. Win a few minutes of life is not easy.

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MUSEUM OF SIMULATION TECHNOLOGY

^{In developing
Developers: Albert Shih (Pillow Castle)}

A game with perspectives. In all senses.
The prototype of the puzzle, based on the techniques of forced prospect, presented in 2014 by a group of students at Carnegie Mellon University, was treated kindly and kissed by journalists, gathered a rich crop of competitive awards and nearly two million views on youtube .

Having basked in glory, the student group has broken up, but Albert Sheen, one of the ideological inspirers and part-time programmer and project designer, continues to work.


At the moment, Albert has closed the distribution of the techno-version from his website, asserting that this will negatively affect the impressions of the future game, which the gaming press had previously christened “the next Portal”. Those who share the point of view of the author, will have to be content with the video. And prospects.

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PLUG AND PLAY

^{2015
Developers: Mario von Rickenbach, Michael Frei
Platforms: Win, iOS, Android}

According to the official statement of the developers, this is a short animated film-game dedicated to the study of sexuality and the emotional sphere of anthropomorphic creatures. And from the outside one might think that some people regret the experience of getting lost the knitting needles into the socket.


Video in this case is much more indicative of words. The game has a whole garland of awards and scores ranging from "deep meaning" to "swsm uprls." Cherry: as the soundtrack, a song performed by the children's choir of the Elijah Church is used.

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: THE GAME:

^{2008
Developer: Nicklaus Liow aka Nicky Case aka NutcaseNightmare
Platform: Flash}

This game is in fact also not a game, but a collection of evil gags on various topics. The developer was inspired by political cartoons, memes, and standup comedians, and his puberty led him along this curved track (at the time of the creation of the first: game: the author was about 14 years old).


The game is absolutely not recommended to fiyalkam gentle people ideological, meticulous and fighters for someone's rights. People are too serious and those who believe that there is no humor, except for the British. But lovers of George Carlin here will be warm and lamp.

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MOUNTAIN

^{2014
Developer: David OReilly
Platforms: Win, iOS}

The next work of David O'Reilly, an experimental multiplier and a man who, together with Shynola, was involved in creating animated inserts for “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” and worked as the director of the Adventure Times. His love for substances by Gus Van Sent, Michael Haneke and Tarkovsky led to the creation of a zero player game, the essence of which is absolute Zen.


You are constructing your own mountain and everything you need to do next to contemplate it.
All you can do is change the distance to the mountain. Here and there. Within 50 hours.
The best feature of the game gave Total Biscuit: "It`s fucking nothing".

It is a pity that you can not put this game on the photo frame.

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CART LIFE

^{2011
Developer: Richard Hofmeier
Platforms: Win}

Richard Hoffmayer won the Cart Life Award for Best Narrative. Three years after the release, he removed the game from Steam and made the source code available to everyone. There were so many interested people that Hofmeier’s personal website went deep into the unconscious, but they managed to duplicate the distribution on GitHub .


This game brings to mind the old anecdote "I do not need a clean, I need you to stop ...". Simulator of the eternal trawl, the life of a small man with a long tail of a difficult past, surviving in the bleak provincial Georgetown. What is. When to sleep Where to live. How to earn. Smoking. Caffeine addiction. Sleep. There is. Work.

Not suitable if you are wondering "Why the hell am I supposed to play life?" It will do if the Sims are too sugary for you and if you have an inexplicable craving for decay and hopelessness.

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DEVICE 6

^{2013, 2016
Developer: Simogo
Platforms: iOS}

Very elegant text quest with original controls from the creators of Year Walk. The main character of the game is Anna girl, who needs to solve many puzzles and escape from an unknown island. Simple ways in the spirit of “breaking a hole in the wall, jumping out of it on an indestructible jeep and dropping into the sunset” are reserved for the Drake brothers, and Anna got an ugly doll and hope for your patience. The direction and format of the text show you where the heroine is at the moment and where it is going. Sometimes the text is divided into several parts, it means that Anna is at a crossroads and you choose where to go.


Unfortunately, the game cracker does not exist yet, so you have to play the game in English. You will certainly like it if you like text quests and Mark Danilevsky's House of Leaves.

The soundtrack is great. There are no other decent words.

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PAPERS, PLEASE

^{2013, 2014
Developer: Lucas Pope
Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux (planned for release on PS Vita and PS4)}

Against the background of a general trend towards “rendering” this game stands alone. In the gameplay is nothing complicated. But every working day in the role of visa inspector Arstottsky meets you with the next changes in the rules of admission, continuously driving you to time trouble: your daily payment depends on the number of requests considered. And you have a wife, a son, a mother-in-law and an uncle around your neck. And the daily payment of a cozy apartment of class 8 in East Greshtin. And for non-payment they will put you under arrest, and your family will be sent to the village. And there are more and more documents and points in the rules. Crossing the border are rude, put pressure on pity, cry, arrange attacks and file documents filled with errors. Skip - you will be fined. Have you ever sympathized with customs? Now start.


The only modest joy of the inspector is the prostitute leaving their business cards: God, these women believe that you still have money and energy after all.

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BLACKBAR

^{2013
Developers: Neven Mrgan, James Moore
Platforms: iOS, Android}

The game consists entirely of letters that are written to you by your friend Kenti, who received the first real job in the mysterious Department. His letters are subject to compulsory censorship by the Department of Communications and places that appear to be questionable to the censors are extorted. The player is invited to guess from the context exactly which words are crossed out and enter them, having a clear picture of what is happening. Letters in English, Russian version is not, alas. But unlike Device 6, using the dictionary will not spoil your pleasure: the game is unhurried as a crossword puzzle, only with history.


Neven put so obvious political overtones into his brainchild that many critics praise the game as “deep thoughts about the horrors of totalitarianism,” in especially difficult cases, mentioning the author's Croatian origin. The smaller part of them is just glad that there are still people in the quiz genre who do not ask us to guess the Toyota logo.

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HOHOKUM

^{2014
Developer: SIE Santa Monica Studio aka Sony Santa Monica
Platforms: PS3. PS4. PS Vita}

Toy-kaleidoscope, toy-carousel. A journey that does not require anything from you except wide eyes and some attentiveness. Hohokum has one goal - to make it easy and beautiful, as if you were 2-3 years old again and the world around is full of wonders.


The game does not suit people who need a clear goal, a timer and medals for achievements. Yes, you do small tasks, but most of the time it takes to loop through the levels, where everything sings and moves. If your eyes are filled with blood after the sixth attempt to find in the color orgy the escaped door to an uncompleted level, then no. If you are looking for a plot - no. If you love pop art, soft electronic music and "Yellow Submarine" - flying kite is waiting for you.

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ANTICHAMBER

^{2013
Developer: Alexander Bruce
Platforms: Win, Mac, Linux}

Frankly, I did not understand what is more in this game: paradoxes or absolute logic. While playing, I often recalled Heinlein's “Honest Witness”: there is only what is, and not what you thought of it. Did not fall into the abyss? Who said you should fall into it? Fell down? Who said all abysses are the same? Written "Go", and you fell? Who said that the game is not lying? Add to this the puzzles, the solution of which may have no meaning, the optical illusions and the color scheme that makes the eyeballs melt. Now you have an idea of ​​why a rabies attack or a migraine can happen from this game.


At one time, I bought into this game only because I met an association with the film Hypercube somewhere. Never regretted it. There is something pleasant about feeling like a calculator that has just dividing by zero.

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LUXURIA SUPERBIA

^{2013
Developer: Tale of Tales
Platforms: Win, OS X, Linux, iOS, Android}

Formally, Luxuria is an abstract musical game in which you need to click on certain objects while moving through the multicolored tunnels. This is the most delicate definition that I could come up with, because the authors themselves violently claim that the game is sex: “You touch it in different places, it reacts, giving you incomparable sensual pleasure.” I present the reaction of the players from India: "Well, for Belgium it is a good attempt."


Also, the creators of the game like to talk about the male and female beginnings, transcendence, cosmology, and argue that players with sexual experience will immediately understand how to play. It would be interesting to hear the opinion of Wasserman on this issue.

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IN A PERMANENT SAVE STATE

^{2013
Developer: Benjamin Poynter
Platforms: iOS Android}

The game is primarily known due to the resonance caused by its removal from the AppStore two hours after the release, and the subsequent discussions about censorship by large markets. But in my opinion, unlike its counterpart Phone Store , which is also devoted to the subject of events at Foxconn factories and also cut out from the AppStore immediately after release, IaPSS is more than just a social performance.


I'm not sure that the game should be recommended as a quest: some tasks will seem too obvious to you, or - on the contrary - completely illogical, but this is not the main thing.

No matter how much I may have proceeded from the definition of “atmospheric play” (a chronic injury from those times when atmospheric pressure almost always turned out to be a fist together with a dubbing ambient), this game is exactly that.

Amazing graphics and animation, which causes associations with Miyazaki and Norstein at the same time, and a rather complementary depressive-animated schizophrenia soundtrack seemed to me to be sufficient reason to include it in the compilation.

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At this point, I would like to complete my review, otherwise it will completely go beyond what is imputed. As always, I will be grateful for your additions and comments.