Memory of a Broken Dimension begins with a command prompt interface reminiscent of old DOS systems. This system is known as RELICS, and through this system, the player must gain access to an abstract, distorted 3D world. This 3D world is the real flesh and bones of the experience, but my experience with this game is solely with the RELICS interface. The prototype that developer Ezra Hanson-White has put out to the public is the only experience available right now, and is the version that I have played. I spent and evening within RELICS trying to decode it's cryptic codes, and intrigued I was determined to go ahead without help. Initial results from words such as 'run' proved fruitless, and hitting the escape key only prompted the worlds 'THERE IS NO ESCAPE'. The game is extremely eerie, and visually is very noisy and disturbing. Such a safe environment as a command prompt system feels very alien and threatening, and I was determined to reach the 3D world buried within. After getting nowhere for long enough, I did end up looking up a guide on how to reach the 3D portion of the game.
Phrases such as 'REMOTE', 'VOIDSCAN' and 'S-DIVER' yield results if entered in a certain order. These cryptic clues can be found within the abstract words and letters that constantly rearrange themselves within RELICS, and only players with a keen eye have noticed these thus far. The game felt very deep, and very alienating at first, and I certainly felt like I was messing with something I shouldn't have been. I also felt an irrational feeling of being watched. The way RELICS constantly shifts and rearranges itself makes it feel very alive. This first portion of the game is an intangible experience, and really sets the tone for for the second half, the 3D world. Upon entering the correct command prompts, you enter a fractal 3D world. This world borrows heavily from a myriad of ideas fro many schools of art. of The world is in black white and shades of grey, and the forms are distorted, and become a mishmash of lines and shapes. None of the imagery in this world seems to depict anything from the real world, aside from a bridge with a rocky texture that appears if you solve the games first puzzle, which involves the player standing in just the right position for the fractured shapes to form together into a physical object you can walk upon. The game has expressionist elements, as the world is distorted in order to set a certain mood.The mood or vibe of the world seems more important than the physical reality itself, although the puzzles within the world to rely on physicality. The way the world smashes itself into lines and planes riffs heavily off of cubism, as objects are broken up and reassembled before the players eyes. At times, there also seems to be multiple viewpoints of a single objects, as the pieces rearrange themselves. The world does feel violent and turbulent at times, and seems to have borrowed this partially from futurism. The game seems to rely heavily on some kind of shader, that takes what must be a generic 3D scene, and rearranges it physically and visually. This would mean that the developer could focus on the content of the game, without having to worry so much about the aesthetic, as this would be generated by the shader and whatever other scripts are effecting the geometry under the hood. In the end, I couldn't get past what I assume is the second puzzle. I didn't want to have to look anything else up, as this would seem to defeat the point in the game; trying to guide a player through a world that doesn't make much sense. The concept of navigation through an abstract space is very intriguing. How does one create an experience that leads players through a world that only loosely represents their own? A world where we don't initially understand any of the rules or laws? I'm not sure this game taught me much in that regard, but it was a cool experience, and one that has had me thinking long after about abstract worlds, and how they work. Reference: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/10/17/hack-this-memory-of-a-broken-dimension/ |
World design theory (WDT)DevelopersThe goal of this blog is to relate current and past attempts at world design to further improve our understanding. Archives
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