Playing Every Game in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality
PEGBRJE: ‘IGEO’ and ‘Back to Bed’
Fear and Puzzles
IGEO is a cubular puzzle game created by Mindnumb Interactive, an indie team working out of the United States (formerly known as Thought Reactor). This was originally created for Ludum Dare 35. It revolves around the Sokoban-style of puzzling; spatial puzzles solved by shifting objects around.
As a yellow cube, players will move along the 2D plane trying to clear the board of all shapes that are not the yellow cube. To do this, players will either need to press the shape in to another identical shape, or shove it off the map. Each shape has their own unique reactions to being destroyed. For example, the green cubes can be pushed off the map to create ramps rather than being destroyed, or the purple cones create walls.
As a Sokoban puzzle, the challenge comes from ensuring that key pieces do not get ‘stuck’ to walls, being unable to move them freely to the place that the player needs them to be. The gaps in the floor further add complications as the player needs to decide which pieces can be thrown over the edge, and which ones are necessary to destroy others . Accidentally sending the second-last sphere over the edge can force a restart if the last one is tucked in to a corner.
It’s simple but effective in its creation, building on the basics to add fun mechanics to keep the gameplay fresh and exciting. There will be many puzzles that look easy, yet slowly unravel to be even more complex than they first appeared, which is always a fun surprise. If you love Sokoban puzzles and want something that expands on them in a 2.5D space, then this is definitely one to try out.
Back to Bed is an atmospheric horror game created by Jack Dunphy, an Aussie developer also going by iLoveYourFace and was assisted by Damian Wilson-Wardle and Andrew Larsen. Players wake up in a part of their house that is not their bed, surrounded by darkness as a power outage has apparently ravaged their house. Hopefully, the bed is not too far away, but best to check the house just in case.
Players will wander their house, following simple objectives before attempting to return to their bed for a good night’s sleep — only for it to be interrupted once again. Each time they awaken they will find themselves in a different room of the house, uncertain as to how they arrived, with a new issue of finding specific rooms locked. The key shifts around the house every time, causing the player to explore every room every time, uncertain as to what may be lurking within. The darkness and sluggish movement makes each search laboured and tense, especially since every entry seems to be accompanied by a sound effect.
Interestingly, there are actually two game modes for Back to Bed players; the ‘primary’ setting is the house, but the other is a surreal landscape known only as ‘mind’. The gameplay is similar, but switches out the dark house for tendrils and bloody pillars.
Back to Bed is a curious little horror game. Visually it is stunning in both areas, even if it is lacking a bit on variety. As of writing this, there is a notice that the game has yet to be finished, so we may be able to see even more nights of attempting to avoid whatever lurks within the halls. If you like small horror games, this is one worth checking out.
