Glitchspace is an ambitious game that is ready to set your lateral thinking skills to the test, but what exactly does it mean to reprogram the world and more importantly, is it any fun?
Glitchspace
Developer: Space Budgie
Platform: PC
MonsterVine was supplied with an alpha build to preview
First off, this game is beautiful. A minimalistic design of towering white edifices and undulating light effects make Glitchspace a sight to behold. Compatible with the Oculus Rift, the world hits the right balance of being visually captivating, but not overcrowded or busy.
Floating platforms and basic movement are instantly familiar and serviceable, however that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to dive head first into the reprogramming tool, the means by which you will reshape and redesign the game world around you.
I have to admit, going into this game blind, it took me a long while to even realise what was going on with this tool. Boxes appearing in your user interface, moving them, stuff happening, etc. It was all a mystery, until they started to let go of my hand a little bit and make me responsible for putting all the pieces together.
Essentially how it works is you point the tool at a red object and select it. This opens the reprogramming tool and from here you start to put together a small program. You create an object, then you create an effect for that object, and then you select the amount you want that effect…to effect the object. If it sounds a bit mind-bending, that’s because it is. Thankfully it’s all done graphically, with easy to understand shape-matching that helps you know what goes where.
Once you start coming to terms with the tool, the actual game comes into play. Simple challenges and obstacles are yours to overcome as you make your way across the level to the exit portal. Speaking of Portal, people are undoubtedly going to draw the comparison. However, for all the games who fall under the quote “it’s like Portal,” few manage to grasp the same creative spark that made it such a success. It is my opinion that Glitchspace has done just that.
What I have been describing thus far is the “Story Mode.” Levels following after each other with progressively more difficult puzzles. However the devilishly clever nature of Glitchspace really comes to light when you open up the “Sandbox Mode” and realize the huge array of programming tools at your disposal. It is all very daunting as there is so much to play with and the puzzle opportunities seem endless. For example, the first thing I did was target my character and subsequently send myself 500 units into the sky. Gazing down at the small stage floating in the distance, I then took stock of my location and started to wonder to myself…now how am I going to get down!
Glitchspace is available through Early Access and has already been through various stages of development, as well as a complete overhaul earlier in the year. With the release scheduled for 2016, I am very excited for an extended story mode with even more reprogrammable levels. If this seems like it interests you, I recommend picking it up early as they state the price will increase the closer they are to release.
