Standpoint, the first game by Unruly Attractions, is a puzzle game not too unlike Portal or Shift and is set to make the player think about not only the puzzles themselves but also Human emotion. Being made by an indie company we can expect a lot in the way of “out-of-the-box” thinking in the way the game is presented, both in its gameplay and story.
Story
The only story we can gain so far is from the information provided on the site and that the game is centred around the currently nameless main character solving the puzzles and making the way to the exit of the stage, the stages being a stage of Grief with the first being the theme of Loss.
This story plot of someone’s mind, especially distressing feelings like Grief or death has been done a few times before, mostly in Game Jams, and I am interested in seeing how it develops and sets itself apart from the similarly themed games on the market.
The demo lasts around 10minutes or so as it is the first level, but I expect a lot more from the final product.
Gameplay
The keys are very simple and easy to pick up, WASD for movement with the left click for switching to a targeted surface and right click being used for the ability you currently have. The majority of the game is spent switching to different surfaces to avoid hazardous surfaces, like the purple like water and the orange buzzing barrier. Touching the orange surfaces will be reset to the previous checkpoint whereas the purple surfaces simple cannot be clicked on and provide an obstacle rather than a hazard.
The first level throws static obstacles, moving platforms and overlapping barriers that require “flying” to manoeuvre. Though it feels rather simple after you get used to it the puzzles are nicely done and don’t feel too in your face in the way you have to solve them, though I hope for some harder puzzles in later levels.
Final Thoughts and Feelings
As the Developer has said in their information, the core game mechanic was modelled after the Alien mechanics found in Alien Vs. Predator, where the Alien clings to the walls to stalk their prey. The camera and floaty walking definitely brings this mechanic to life but feels more strongly of the Shift series of games where you click to switch to a different perspective or gravity flow.
As it stands… hehe… StandPoint looks rather promising; with the artistic style it has with clean surfaces and a calm voice guiding your way. Though the graphics and voice are appealing in this game it could be that they feel so closely to that found in the Portal series which the developers must be careful of to ensure they don’t get too much scrutiny for “Copying” another gaming series.
The graphic style, while clean and professional looking, can get dull quite quick and I feel that if the entire game looked this way it would become an eyesore. If the facility became more detailed or distraught in its design to follow the feeling of Grief I think it would make the game look a lot more unique.
Standpoint will come to Greenlight and Kickstarter rather soon so I suggest keeping an eye out for it on the internet as the future of this game seems to be very bright if they continue to improve on what they currently have.
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