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Editor's note: I hadn't heard of Fractal before reading this, but as a Lumines fan, color me intrigued…. -Demian
The folks at Cipher Prime, developer of the award-winning Auditorium, hope to match the success of their debut effort with an experiential ambient-music puzzler (think Flow meets Lumines meets Bejeweled) called Fractal.
The game keeps the tone of Auditorium, surrounding you with beautifully atmospheric music and pulsing color. The environment in Fractal changes as you play, reacting to current conditions in your session.
Fractal follows the easy-to-learn, hard-to-master, harder-to-explain approach to game design. You have a grid of hexagonal spaces populated by one or more fractals. The aim is to arrange seven fractals of the same color to form a larger hexagon. Each time you do, the outer fractals “bloom,” exploding away from the center. If they form another bloom as a consequence, you get a chain reaction, which provides bonus points. Overlapping or adjacent hexagons form larger blooms, which also earn more points than single blooms. You must bloom a certain number of fractals to pass each level.
In order to form these shapes, you must “push” the fractals in the grid. Click next to a fractal to push it away, and a new fractal will take its place. A queue on the lower right of the screen tells you what color fractal is up next, and how many more fractals you can push. If you push a fractal off the grid, it disappears. You cannot directly push fractals that are surrounded by other fractals.
It may sound complex, but it's very intuitive once you start playing. Every input has a clear, consistent, and well-defined reaction. Each level has a few tips drawn on the background around the grid, which may help to guide you in the right direction. And Fractal adds new elements as you play, for a steady learning curve and plenty of room for experimentation.
Things really start to get interesting when a second fractal color joins the mix. While it's very simple to master the manipulation of fractals of just one color, multiple colors significantly increase the challenge. You'll have to plan carefully to get enough blooms to pass the level. Praise, more upbeat music, and new challenges reward success.
The “push” meter and music both gently pulsate as the number of remaining pushes approaches zero, while the previously vibrant visuals similarly lose their luster. It’s as though the game is a living entity, and its very survival depends on the player. Succeed and it grows in color, vibrance, energy, and beauty. Fail and it withers to nothing. Even on these early levels it is absorbing in much the same way as the great zen-infusing puzzle games Tetris and Lumines. It also captures something of the Rez-vibe — a living, breathing world that reacts to your every move, changing form and shape as you progress.
Gamers will undoubtedly compare Fractal to Auditorium — often unfavorably. But for all their similarities — ambient music, same developer, beautiful presentation — Fractal and Auditorium are different games, and should be treated as such. I'm glad that Cipher Prime chose to go in this direction. I don’t need or want another Auditorium, but I’d love a fresh new puzzle experience. Fractal gives me just that, and I found myself consumed by the game, my breathing synchronized with the pulsating music — rising and falling until I almost hold my breath as the push queue nears empty.
The color fades away as the push queue nears its end.
It lacks some of the elegance of Auditorium, but appears to be every bit as deep and moving. Fractal crosses the boundary from interactive experience to game much better than its predecessor, and the developers promise it will make you re-think the entire concept several times throughout the campaign.
The full version will have three game modes to cater to different kinds of players. Campaign mode (featured in the demo) focuses on discovery and a crafted experience. Puzzle mode is for the more-contemplative types, who enjoy pulling their hair out trying to push the underlying mechanics to the limit. And Arcade mode offers unlimited pushes but throws in a time limit, so you’ll need to keep forming blooms to stay alive.
Puzzle mode will look something like this.
Fractal comes out for Windows and Mac later this month. You can try the demo online or pre-order the game at the official site.