I know we don’t talk about games as much as we could here, but I came across this game, by way of the Totally Rad Show, and had to share. Lately I’ve been addicted to my iPod games - Reversie, Klondike (or solitaire, for those who haven’t played the apple version), Tetris, and Vortex have become favorite things for me to do while listening to Book Radio. So, I’m into puzzle games. And if you are too, then I’ve got a great new game to kill off whatever productivity is left in your day for you to try.
The game is Auditorium and if you’re looking to kill time without even know you’re doing it, then this is your game. And guess what? It’s free to play.
So what’s it all about? Good question. This is a puzzle game that has the player using directional “lenses” to alter the path of light particles in order to fill up volume meters. You complete each level by filling up all the meters at the same time. By doing so, you also complete the melody that is playing. As I mentioned, the lenses are directional and you can grow and shrink them to alter the way that they reflect the light.
Gradually, color coded meters and more lenses are introduced. The color coded mirrors require you to filter the light through a similarly colored ring before you fill the meter, adding a layer of complexity to the proceedings. I haven’t played through the whole puzzle game, so I don’t know how many variations there are, but I have found a lens that swirls the light, allowing you to fill color coded meters that would otherwise be next to impossible to fill.
[more after the jump]
This may sound simplistic, but trust me, as the meters are placed in more and more interesting areas, you'll find yourself toying with the lenses to get your line up just right. But don't worry about having to find just one solution (and you can likewise forget about a "help/hint" button) - there is no prescribed "one right way" to solve each puzzle. You just puzzle it out.
Now you may be sitting there and thinking to yourself, "Yeah, bending light particle paths to fill volume meters so I can hear some soothing new age-ish music sounds amazing." If so, well, yeah, I had the same thought*. Then I played it.
Trust me, the gameplay is more engaging that you'd think. This is a free, web-based game (nothing to download, just mix the contents of playauditorium.com with internet and you're done!). I can't speak too competently about game graphics (I don't currently own a game system, but I did have a PS2 before I moved) but I think that by keeping the on screen elements to a minimum they've been able to refine those few things into something that is nice to look at. In fact, I wish there was a pause button just so I could view a completed puzzle for longer than the game allows.
Anyway, if you or someone you know is looking for a new puzzle game online, check this one out. Tell 'em Kyle sent ya**.
*Which is silly of me, if you get right down to it. I mean, how interesting does "stacking blocks to form a row" sound? Or how about "bounce a ball off a paddle and break some blocks overhead?" I've been into puzzle games since Tetris was new for goodness sake; I should know better than to make snap judgments like this.
**Not that they'll care or anything, I just really want people to walk in somewhere and tell others that I sent them.
It soothes at the same time it drives you MAD!! It got me hooked.
I know, right? You get to points where you'd usually throw your fists in the air and make crazy declarations of vengeance, but instead you're thinking, "I wonder if I can just bring the piano loop back in? That's niiiiiiiiiice."