PSRT
01-10-2009, 11:14 PM
It's not much, and it's not exactly a review, but I just wrote this and figured I'd post it here, just for the hell of it...
When thinking of and discussing free, online Flash games, certain descriptions tend to get forgotten; such phrases as "impressive audio direction" and "smooth aesthetic" are rarely used in relation to these titles. Rather, the online community at large tends to view these sorts of games as simple, albeit entertaining, diversions from the traditional big-box title release.
Every once in a while, however, a little game comes along that changes, if only for a short while, the way in which we perceive Flash entertainment. Be it You Have To Burn The Rope (http://www.mazapan.se/games/BurnTheRope.php), with its deviously simple yet ultimately interesting gameplay concept, or Desktop Tower Defense 1.5 (http://www.handdrawngames.com/DesktopTD/Game.asp), whose surprising depth reveals itself only after hours of engaging play, there can consistently be found titles whose incredible ingenuity could not possibly have been predicted.
Auditorium (http://www.playauditorium.com/) is one of these games.
Based off the simple concept of light refraction and reflection, Auditorium plays like a puzzle game while sounding like a music game. Its clearly defined art style allows for a decidely un-Flash-like level of visual clarity, especially when viewed in full screen, while selective use of audio creates an impression of the player as musician, forming the game's music as he or she progresses. And as said progress occurs, predictably, the complexity and depth of its puzzles grows at a steady pace. That said, however, thanks to the dynamic nature of the game's mechanics, a solution never feels too far out-of-hand. Solutions to some of the puzzles may, in fact, come too easily; much like Crayon Physics, it is sometimes possible to abuse the open-ended nature of the game, creating far less satisfying solutions to some of the puzzles than the developers may have intended.
Of course, you'll be too engaged with the next puzzle to care.
When thinking of and discussing free, online Flash games, certain descriptions tend to get forgotten; such phrases as "impressive audio direction" and "smooth aesthetic" are rarely used in relation to these titles. Rather, the online community at large tends to view these sorts of games as simple, albeit entertaining, diversions from the traditional big-box title release.
Every once in a while, however, a little game comes along that changes, if only for a short while, the way in which we perceive Flash entertainment. Be it You Have To Burn The Rope (http://www.mazapan.se/games/BurnTheRope.php), with its deviously simple yet ultimately interesting gameplay concept, or Desktop Tower Defense 1.5 (http://www.handdrawngames.com/DesktopTD/Game.asp), whose surprising depth reveals itself only after hours of engaging play, there can consistently be found titles whose incredible ingenuity could not possibly have been predicted.
Auditorium (http://www.playauditorium.com/) is one of these games.
Based off the simple concept of light refraction and reflection, Auditorium plays like a puzzle game while sounding like a music game. Its clearly defined art style allows for a decidely un-Flash-like level of visual clarity, especially when viewed in full screen, while selective use of audio creates an impression of the player as musician, forming the game's music as he or she progresses. And as said progress occurs, predictably, the complexity and depth of its puzzles grows at a steady pace. That said, however, thanks to the dynamic nature of the game's mechanics, a solution never feels too far out-of-hand. Solutions to some of the puzzles may, in fact, come too easily; much like Crayon Physics, it is sometimes possible to abuse the open-ended nature of the game, creating far less satisfying solutions to some of the puzzles than the developers may have intended.
Of course, you'll be too engaged with the next puzzle to care.