Escher-Pades: The Bridge Demo

Last time I wrote about The Bridge, all I'd seen of it was the exquisite little trailer that I felt an immediate compulsion to share. Although I promised to keep my eyes peeled (and I haven't closed them since), I feared that the actual game might be years away from release, since so little information was available. Thankfully, all of my fears were dispelled when a demo appeared to coincide, more or less, with the game's appearance at IndieCade. Download it here or read some more brief impressions below.

The trailer reminded me of And Yet It Moves because rotation was involved and my brain sometimes enjoys creating simple connections rather than actually making an effort. Hands-on investigation reveals an experience firmly at the puzzle end of the spectrum, with hardly any platforming at all. You will indeed be in control of a little man and there is even a jump button, but a lot of time is spent maneuvering other objects around the increasingly maze-like levels.

The full version of the game introduces new types of obstacle and interaction on a regular basis and I suspect I'll be writing more about it once I'm done because so far it's been a very pleasant surprise. It is extremely slow-paced but my eyes are so pleased by the atmosphere and design of the locations that I expect they'd have something to say if I rushed through without letting them soak in the details. Talking eyes are even more distressing than peeled ones, so I'll gladly accept the sluggish rate at which the screen rotates and the little mad-haired man shuffles along.

As with Braid, which this resembles structurally if not mechanically, there is a story being told in cryptic fashion and I'm finding myself searching for visual clues to unravel the narrative, which is a very good sign indeed. Beyond the pleasing aesthetics, there is something beautifully suggestive about the visual design.

No release date yet but hopefully soon. Meanwhile, do take a look at the demo.