Photographs is a puzzler that's actually 5 different games
Say cheese
What's better than a puzzle game with a compelling story? According to EightyEight studios, the answer is five puzzle games rolled into one game that tells five tragic interconnected stories. Photographs is an upcoming puzzler helmed by Luca Redwood, who's previously delighted both John and myself with match 3/endless runner game You Must Build A Boat.
I can tell what's involved in that first puzzle with the green background and the fences, where you have to guide two characters to a destination but one button press makes them both move. The rest are more of a mystery. Jigsaw-based wheat farming? Abstract mini-golf/diving? Who knows, but with Redwood's track history I'm up for anything.
Redwood reckons that you won't won't have seen anything in Photographs' ilk before - "It's unusual, and it's dark - there isn't anything else out there like it." He adds that he's working "with Pixelshuh for the art and Ben Prunty for the music, so it looks and sounds fantastic".
Pixelshuh (or Octavi Navarro) was an artist and animator for Thimbleweed Park, while Ben Prunty did the soundtrack for FTL. I'm currently blasting that into my ear pipes so I can tell you whether Prunty lives up to Redwood's description, and I'm pleased to report it's even better than I remember.
Here's an intriguing question posed by the press release: "Why have a level select screen? Why not use that time and space to elevate a puzzle game and really tell a story? That's the problem that Photographs sets out to solve." Again, I'm not sure what that could mean - but I'm looking forward to finding out.
Photographs will release at some point in 2018. Hit its site for more information.