So, I’ve totally been meaning to get some work done around here, sort out certain linking issues and the what not; but instead, I’ve been sidetracking myself in the best way possible by playing Antichamber all weekend… Well, actually there was some time spent drinking involved too. But even then through the boozing, the vomiting and the mandingo fighting, my mind was thinking all about this insanely good puzzle game.
Developed by one guy (Alexander Bruce) over several years, it’s a first-person puzzle game that’s set entirely in a non-Euclidean geometric world, where the levels are all very smartly designed to ignore typical notions of normal space and the puzzles are cleverly made and fiendishly taxing at times; though that’s probably because your sense of logic and reasoning just haven’t quite realigned as much as needed yet. And oh, it will.
As you navigate through the levels, the levels can change on you, based purely on your perspective and how you move through them. This, in tandem with the game’s brilliant minimalist ascetics, creates a wonderful psychological backdrop that forces one to constantly readjust their thinking in order to solve the puzzles and explore the game.
It can sound frustrating at times, and at times it can be, but the puzzles themselves aren’t of malicious design and often the solutions are revealed to be quite simple in their complexity and totally rewarding when you solve them.
Brilliantly inventive and refreshingly good on every level. This is totally something for fans of puzzles, games, art and basically anything good. This is one of them.
From 1A4 Studios, a Moscow based uh… animation studio? At least, I think they’re in Moscow. Am not actually sure on any details beside the name as my Russian is about as good as Google Translate which well… didn’t do so good there. But anyhow, this short condenses The Matrix into a fun 60 seconds and is the second in a hopefully on-going series.
Also, their other series Animirus is definitely worth a watch too; particularly Postmas, Scio and aw hell, all of them really. Go nuts.
David A. Reeves is a 28 year old Rhode Island native studying photography at NSCAD University in Halifax, NS and makes these great cut-out silhouettes of various pop culture medias. With an interest in music, photography and movies, he’s greatly inspired by video games, films and tacos.
First two are great stop-motion pieces of amazing design and quality. The last one is just a delightfully hilarious short about a hand’s creation not quite going to plan and tiny animated destruction ensues.
Black Books “Favorite Place”
Directed by Christophe Thockler
Shugo Tokumaru “Katachi”
Directed by Kijek/Adamski
‘Fight For Everyone’ Music Promo for The Leisure Society.
Scott Campbell (Scott C) is a maker of paintings, illustrations, comics, kid’s books and video games. He studied illustration at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, focusing on comic and children’s book illustration. He now works for Double Fine productions as an Art Director on such games as the critically acclaimed Psychonauts and Brutal Legend. Alongside this career in games, he has published numerous comics and created paintings that have appeared in galleries and publications around the world.
Website: How far to Mars?
Stevefaces (
