No Money, No Problem: The Fourth Wall

Title: The Fourth Wall
Developer: Logan Fieth
Platforms: PC
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So if you've been following me on Twitter, you probably saw my incessant tweets about the recent Kickstarter for Four Sided Fantasy (successfully funded!). Made by developer Logan Fieth during his time at Digipen, The Fourth Wall was the original game to explore the screen wrap mechanic seen in Four Sided Fantasy.

I had my doubts that manipulated screen could work as a mechanic or even make for a challenging game, but The Fourth Wall proved otherwise. As you guide your character on his journey through this gray-scale world, you can freeze the screen at any time, basically making the entire perimeter of the screen act as one big portal that warps you around when you move off-screen. It's a simple mechanic using in a cool challenging ways and makes you consider the level space differently; large gaps become easily passable by simply jumping off and falling down from the sky, impassible pillars are bypassed by crossing to other side of screen, and more.

I definitely recommend giving The Fourth Wall a try (and Perspective too, while you're at it). The Fourth Wall is short but smart, and I'm eager to see how Four Sided Fantasy expands on its already-interesting concept.

Download The Fourth Wall here.

The Watchlist: Four Sided Fantasy

Title: Four Sided Fantasy
Developer: Ludo Land
Platforms: PC
Releasing early 2015
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From the level designer of Perspective comes a successor to his award-winning game The Fourth Wall, a game about limits of the screen.

The first thing about Four Sided Fantasy that caught my attention was its dev team, since it composed of DigiPen students. From games like Nitronic Rush (and its successor Distance) to Perspective, DigiPen talent has proven to always deliver innovative quality experiences. Actually it was DigiPen students who developed Narbacular Drop and TAG: The Power of Paint, two indie games that inspired the acclaimed Portal series. Not only that, but the level designer of Perspective is developing the game; Perspective remains one of my favorite freeware games, a mindbending mix of 2D platforming and 3D perspective that I don't believe has been attempted since. It's those factors that attracted me to Four Sided Fantasy, a puzzle platformer about screen wrap.

Four Sided Fantasy is the successor to developer's Logan Fieth's freeware game The Fourth Wall. The core mechanic is the ability to manipulate screen wrap. At any time, you can freeze the screen, allowing you to loop around the edges. Something as simple as screen wrap might seem like it would be difficult to craft a diverse game around, but playing The Fourth Wall proved otherwise, using that mechanic to create a variety of interesting puzzles and challenges. Four Sided Fantasy builds off that original version, introducing vibrant colorful visuals and a story of discovery and exploration as a seemingly normal business trip turns into something more mysterious. The trailer hints at new mechanics, such as gravity fields and moving between background and foreground.

Four Sided Fantasy will be released in early 2015. You can support the game on Kickstarter and vote for it on Steam Greenlight. Play the original prototype The Fourth Wall here, as well as Perspective.