Solve puzzles with split-screen in co-op platformer DYO
Use split-screen to solve puzzles
We first mentioned DYO a couple of years ago, when the one or two-player platformer impressed as part of the Games Made in Berlin collection. It's a co-operative puzzler in the vein of The Lost Vikings or Trine, but with a novel mechanic allowing you to use the split-screen border itself to solve puzzles. For instance, by finagling the screen division just right, you might be able to erase a pesky barrier, or glue a hole in the floor back together. That's exactly the kind of outside-the-box cleverness that keeps me interested in puzzle games, so I'm happy to see that an expanded version of DYO is now available on itch.io and Steam.
This new version of the game contains 3-4 hours of puzzles set in a tricksy labyrinth. The developers say that it'll be "mind-bending", although there's no promise made that DYO will twist your melon back into its former shape when it's done with you. You can play the whole thing by yourself, or if you know a human or a super-intelligent pet you can foist a controller in their hands/paws and make them play along. Interestingly, you can also play DYO using a single gamepad (there's no mention made of the humble keyboard), which is good news as those things can be danged expensive.
If the concept seems familiar, then you might be remembering Daniel Linssen's elegant windowframe, a small freebie made at around the same time as the original version of DYO, and that explores somewhat similar territory. In windowframe, you don't make use of the borders of the split-screen but rather the entire game window, which you can lock in place, or expand/shrink to puzzle yourself around.
There's a 20% launch discount on DYO for the next few days, on both Steam and itch.io, bringing the game down to a reasonable $9.59/£7.43. Aptly named devs Team DYO have also released a seven-stage demo, so you can see whether its brand of cerebral minotaur mayhem is up your street.