Bunch of 5: Works of Art
In our first #ContinueChat, we discussed videogames in an art context, and as a result, came up with several games our chatters felt were fine examples of the form: games that were indisputably art, because they pushed the medium forward and had the power to move and inspire. Below, we provide a little more information on some of these games so you can track them down and appreciate them in all their beautiful digital glory.
1) Elite
(suggested by Mark Hardisty)
More than thirty years before No Man’s Sky, Elite was offering entire galaxies to explore. Developed in 1984 by David Braben and Ian Bell, Elite stunned players with its immersive universe of 2000 planets — a drop in the ocean now, perhaps, but far more expansive than anything else available at the time. And they’re doing it all over again, stunning players in VR this time around, with fleeting encounters with an enormous, beautiful, enigmatic alien vessel already becoming the stuff of Let’s Play video legend. Play the original (or a version of it, at least) here.
2) Knight Lore
(suggested by ZX Spectrum 30, yes our #ContinueChats are so amazing, even classic hardware joins in!)
Another 1984 release doing incredible things with limited software and hardware capabilities, Knight Lore demonstrated the possibilities of 3D isometric design in relation to puzzles, art style and storytelling. The player-character, afflicted with a werewolf curse, must explore a wizard’s labyrinth to collect the elements required for their antidote, making use of both their human and wolf forms in order to succeed. Play an emulated version of Knight Lore here.
3) Batalyx
(suggested by Iain Simons)
With its collection of five colourful minigames, plus a… relaxation simulator? The Commodore 64’s Batalyx was most often described as ‘psychedelic’, yet it is notable also for its use of unique mechanics which have yet to be repeated in quite the same way. The minigames’ difficultly levels were tied in to the amount of time remaining, providing players with an added layer of strategy. The sixth game screen, a synthesizer of sorts, allowing the player to adjust the visuals, was a moment of quietness and stillness still unusual in mainstream games today. It’s available to download via creator Jeff Minter’s website here.
4) Samarost
(suggested by Paul Kercal)
Released for free by Amanita Design in 2003, Samarost is a stunning game lauded for both its visuals and sound. The player is tasked with helping a gnome avert disaster to save his planet via a series of point and click puzzles. Surreal, strange, but always gorgeous to look at, the charming world of Samarost leaps out of the screen more than some of its HD 3D counterparts, despite the absence of typical features such as inventory and dialogue. Play it here.
5) Shadow of the Colossus
(suggested by Dexter Prior)
In a world of towering monsters and misty mountains, Shadow of the Colossus riffs on the classic videogame notion of ‘the boss fight’, presenting each massive creature as a landscape to be traversed and a puzzle to be negotiated as well as an enemy to be defeated. It then flips this notion on its head for a moving and tragic denouement. Like many of the other games mentioned here, Shadow of the Colossus is not impressive purely because of its visuals, but because of the integration of sound, visuals, character, gameplay and storyline to create something that is more than the sum of its parts. Such is its appeal, one player has devoted six years of his life to exploring everything it has to offer. (That link is also worth following for the art/videogames argument that kicks off in its comments section in response!) You can play Shadow of the Colossus via PlayStation Now.
Did we forget your favourite? Tell us about it in the comments below, tweet us at @the_nvf, or drop us a line on our discussion mailing list.
