Nerd Mentality

PREVIEW — Quantum Conundrum

Posted January 25th 2012 by Frankie Aguilar.

I've never really been a huge fan of puzzle games. Don't get me wrong, I played the hell out of Tetris, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't killed almost every single second waiting at doctors' offices destroying Bejeweled. Let's chock my distaste up to frustrating puzzle portions of third-person action games on the original PlayStation. A few years ago I picked up Valve's Orange Box, and I'll be honest, it was solely to get my hands on Team Fortress 2. But I was intrigued by Portal, mostly because I had no idea what it was. I could only assume it involved portals. This gem over the course of just a few hours completely changed my perception of puzzle games. Portal was a revelation, introducing a brand new gameplay mechanic that was at the same time familiar and mind blowing, and left fans clamoring for more. Kim Swift, one of the lead designers on the original Portal (not to mention the creative force behind both the weighted companion cube and GLaDOS) is now heading up a team at Washington-based Airtight Games, and is setting out to revolutionize the puzzle genre all over again with Quantum Conundrum.

Announced in August 2011, Quantum Conundrum's story is a simple one. A boy is sent to spend the weekend with his Uncle Quadwrangle, who just so happens to be a eccentric inventor who up and disappears after an experiment goes awry. Quadwrangle has done pretty well for himself, so you'll have to make your way through his gigantic and (not a bit) surprisingly difficult-to-traverse mansion to find him and set things right. Luckily for you, his latest and greatest invention is made ready for you in your time of need: The Inter-Dimensional Shift (IDS) device. All the makings for another game set to spit in the face of physics as we know it.

The mechanic that will have this game rival the mind-bending extravaganza that was Portal is not the ability to jump from one place to the next through portals, but instead to jump between dimensions through the use of the IDS device. The three dimensions that have been revealed thus far are the anti-gravity, slow motion, and fluffy dimensions. The best part about the IDS is that it works dynamically within the game, leading to gameplay revolved around quick switches between dimensions. For instance, you could pick up a heavy object in the fluffy dimension, throw it, switch to the slow-mo dimension, hop on and go for a ride.

Quantum Conundrum, much like Swift's Portal, is played from the first person perspective, which will really play into the need for fast-twitch finger muscles and quick thinking. But don't worry if you get a little confused, because you've got DOLLI to protect you. Unlike the brazen psychopathic AI GLaDOS in Portal, DOLLI (Dynamic Object Linear Ligation Interface) will help you if you get lost in your uncle's cavernous mansion. See, Professor Quadwrangle set up the entirety of his house as a test chamber for his experiments, and in order to find him you'll have to traverse all these puzzling rooms.

What's interesting about Quantum Conundrum is that it not only mimics a lot of what made Portal a success but it also looks a bit like another Valve property: Team Fortress 2. The world that you traverse is vibrant and cartoony and lends itself to a whimsical feel, which leads me to believe that it'll be pretty funny. For example. when you switch to the fluffy dimension, not only does everything take on the look of marshmallowy clouds, but the paintings of your uncle start sporting bunny rabbit onesies. It's the little things that can make something as technical and intense as a puzzle game endearing and fun.

Although this game isn't a huge departure from the Portal series, there are worse games to emulate. Quantum Conundrum appears to be the next great puzzle game and I can't wait to see the other dimensions and how they are applied in-game. While I am not entirely worried about it being kid friendly in terms of difficulty, I do wonder if the cutesy look and feel will scare away interested parties. All things considered, Quantum Conundrum looks like a home run for Kim Swift, and you can look for it on PC, Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network on March 31st, 2012.

Click here for a Gameplay Demo with Kim Swift.

Website

Tags: Airtight Games, Kim Swift, Portal, Sqaure Enix, Quantum Conundrum

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