(3 / 4)
Also for: Linux, Macintosh, Nintendo Switch, Ouya, Playstation 3, PS Vita, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One
BECAUSE YOU LOVE FEELING STUPID
The Bridge is dark and mysterious, a (sort of) physics based, 2D puzzle-platformer, with astounding level design and visual confusion inspired by the impossible works of Dutch artist M.C. Escher.
Just like Escher's artwork, this game distorts the perspective, seamlessly bridging the gap between the straight (2D) and the twisted (3D), often in a manner that makes it hard to tell where they intersect. For instance, you might be running along an ordinary platform when it suddenly loops, and after you perform a full 360, you find yourself in a different location from where you started. It's like playing the performance of a great illusionist.
The Bridge was designed by The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild Inc., a couple of guys (designer and programmer Ty Taylor and artist Mario Castañeda) of some clearly astonishing (and possibly insane) mental faculties. Anyone who had a PS Plus-subscription in October 2018 should be able to play it for free, and it's well worth it.
It resembles nothing I've ever played. On the superficial level Braid (a game I have yet to play) comes to mind, with its pencil sketch aesthetics and character design, as well as the reverse time mechanics. But apart from that The Bridge is unique, ingenious and aggravating, and the way it's connected makes all its qualities and frustrations part of the same package. You can't have one without the other. Whether you'll like it or not depends on your ability to endure, or even enjoy, the pain of frustration.
A GAME OF GRAVITY
The player controls a small guy, most likely Escher himself, by walking left or right. With the added possibility to rotate the entire screen in 360 degrees, your task is to reach otherwise unreachable places by simply using the gravitational pull. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, don't forget that this game is bundled with the twisted logics of an Escher drawing. It doesn't stay that simple, or easy, for long.You start at a fixed location and need to reach a door to proceed to the next level. Sometimes you need to unlock the door, either by grabbing one or several keys, or pulling a switch. Of course, there are other objects on the screen affected by gravity, and some of them might hurt you. There are four chapters, each one containing six levels (you do the maths), with each level constituting a single screen. And so you work your way through them, and as you complete the last one, the game delivers a twist sure to annoy even the most devout fan of gravity.
Every other level or so introduces a new gameplay element, which forces you to drastically rethink the possibilites of the scant control scheme. I won't go into detail what this is, because it'd probably serve you best to know nothing of what awaits. Let's just say that, in the spirit of Escher, The Bridge's physics aren't constant. For each curve, each bend of the platform, it seems the possibilities increase exponentially. In the end, it's impossible to tell what's upside down. You might be standing inches away from the exit, and yet have to walk for minutes to reach it.
Trying to mentally calculate a route through each level takes a heavy toll on your precognition. Nope, instead you'd do better by experimenting, taking a step-by-step approach to beat the levels. You might end up spending an awful long time on each one. Dying is a possibility, and the time-reversal mechanic exists simply to allow quick cancellations of fatal missteps. Sometimes, however, you discover you're so far down a dead-end that restarting the level might be quicker. The leisurely paced gameplay does nothing to help. As I head towards a certain goal, Escher walks so slowly that I sometimes forget my plans long before I get there.
STORY AND SUMMARY
The Bridge contains a story but it's very dreamlike, with the visuals painted in black and white just like Escher's artwork. Each chapter concludes with fragments of writing, but they are not nearly enough to reveal the full story, which lies buried beneath deep layers of dream logic and symbolism. It seemingly attempts to bridge the two-centuries gap between Isaac Newton -- who is referenced in certain paintings and the intro sequence -- and Escher himself, somehow combining the two opposing world views to create... well, what? A better world?Throughout your first playthrough, you'll hardly care much at all - your brain will probably be hardwired towards problem solving rather than plot analysis. God knows you'll need it.
I was on the verge of calling The Bridge a relaxing weekend game, one you should play in between two longer ones. But that would implicate it being a simple experience, and nothing could be further from the truth. You need all your wits about you and a lot of patience. It could become quite a time sink. I beat it in a weekend, but resorted to a walkthrough on two occasions.
The frustrations of playing arise from the fact that there are too many variables in play at once, especially in the later levels. The required steps become overwhelming, and the game moves too slow for comfort. Every new level is a challenge, like a slap to the face, making me overthink the situation. Sometimes I would reach the exit, suddenly realising that I'd already been there minutes ago, and all I needed to do was to open the unlocked door to win. I'd passed it thinking it was still locked.
The Bridge is devious, like it has a penchant for making you feel way more stupid than you deserve. Well, that tends to happen in a world where ordinary rules don't apply. As soon as you adapt, the rules change and you'll have to come to terms with something new. Well, perhaps life is like that, according to great, subversive minds. And all the rest of us can do is compete in their little games, hoping to keep up with the times.
Comments
Post a Comment