PAX East had some incredible showings this year, but none impressed me more than the collaborative effort seen at the Indie Megabooth. While navigating this display, I stumbled upon the booth for Snapshot. It flashed in the corner of my eye, and I decided that I should sit down and give it more focus. After having hands-on time with the game, I can say it has developed quite nicely.
Retro Affect's 2D platformer has players taking control of Pic, a robot camera built with the purpose of collecting a mysterious energy scattered throughout the world. The gameplay initially comes across as standard platforming fare, until one notices the floating camera lens on the screen that can be moved around freely. A press of a button snaps a picture of whatever is within the lens' frame, but this camera is for more than scenic photos. Objects can be captured within the shots, and the player can then paste them elsewhere on the screen, putting whatever objects they have captured back into the world.
This unique cut-and-paste mechanic lends itself well to the title's clever puzzles. The game eases the player into the concept by starting things simple. For example, there's a platform that can't quite be reached with Pic's (surprisingly lofty) jump, but a box could be used to give the little guy just enough height to make it up. The problem is twofold, however, since the box is too far away and too heavy to be moved. This seemingly impossible task is remedied with the camera, as players can snap a photo of the box and paste it closer to the ledge where Pic can use it to advance.
Additional elements like no-photo zones and rotating the pictures before pasting create some scenarios that provide a healthy challenge while giving the player a sense of satisfaction. I didn't get any hands-on time with some of the features, such as capturing objects in motion and using their momentum, but I can already imagine the possibilities and fun that can be had with such concepts.
The vibrant art style, as well as the fluid animation of characters, only help drive the experience even higher. The visual presentation reminds me very much of the Kirby franchise, and that whimsical vision fits in perfectly with the fun and charming gameplay.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I can say even that wouldn't do this title justice. Developer Retro Affect seems to be right on track with the game, and I can't wait to see the finished product. While there is no solid release date yet, you can expect to see Snapshot coming out of the darkroom and onto Steam in the coming months.