Eversion is a freeware platform game, available for download here. I wrote up the following, for http://todaysfreegame.com/ :
To say that Eversion isnt the platformer it initially appears to be is a bit of an understatement. I feel that the entire experience is much more impactful if the player goes into it not really knowing too much about what theyre getting into (as I did), so I suggest you just hit the download link above and run through it (its only about seven levels) before coming back and reading this write-up. All you really need to know is that the platforming gameplay itself is very solid, and the sugary-sweet title screen and first few levels are pretty goddamn heavy misdirection.
The game was created for TIGSources Commonplace Book Competition, and was inspired by the Lovecraft quote sounds - possibly musical - heard in the night from other worlds or realms of being. The creator describes his game as A cute platformer with a dark secret.
The core platforming gameplay is familiar - run, jump on enemies heads, collect gems, etc. The hook is that you also have access to an everse button. At specific points in a level the music will change and the background will fade a little. This is your cue that you can everse into a parallel version of the same level. The layout remains basically the same, but you might now be able to step on clouds instead of passing through them, or break blocks that were previously unbreakable. The mechanic introduces some light puzzle elements, as you might need to everse to the proper phase of a stage to collect some tricky gems.
The mechanic also introduces what makes Eversion so damn creepy. It seems like every time you everse, youre taken to a world thats a little more well Lovecraftian. It starts out subtle - in Stage 1, the flowers might be wilted and dying instead of happy and cheery. It very quickly becomes not-so-subtle:
http://todaysfreegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/picture-102-300x225.png
http://todaysfreegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/picture-121-300x225.png
As the landscapes become more hellish, so too do the other elements of the game. The gameplay becomes more than difficult - it gets downright tricky and mean. The music becomes considerably more foreboding. The little Ready!! message that appears before a stage begins changes to I see you. at one point, which I found especially disconcerting, for some reason.
I think the reason Eversions creepiness stuck with me longer than more traditional horror titles is because it really is a gradual descent. Theres no shock scares, here. Just a slow realization of whats going on, as you progress through the levels.
To say that Eversion isnt the platformer it initially appears to be is a bit of an understatement. I feel that the entire experience is much more impactful if the player goes into it not really knowing too much about what theyre getting into (as I did), so I suggest you just hit the download link above and run through it (its only about seven levels) before coming back and reading this write-up. All you really need to know is that the platforming gameplay itself is very solid, and the sugary-sweet title screen and first few levels are pretty goddamn heavy misdirection.
The game was created for TIGSources Commonplace Book Competition, and was inspired by the Lovecraft quote sounds - possibly musical - heard in the night from other worlds or realms of being. The creator describes his game as A cute platformer with a dark secret.
The core platforming gameplay is familiar - run, jump on enemies heads, collect gems, etc. The hook is that you also have access to an everse button. At specific points in a level the music will change and the background will fade a little. This is your cue that you can everse into a parallel version of the same level. The layout remains basically the same, but you might now be able to step on clouds instead of passing through them, or break blocks that were previously unbreakable. The mechanic introduces some light puzzle elements, as you might need to everse to the proper phase of a stage to collect some tricky gems.
The mechanic also introduces what makes Eversion so damn creepy. It seems like every time you everse, youre taken to a world thats a little more well Lovecraftian. It starts out subtle - in Stage 1, the flowers might be wilted and dying instead of happy and cheery. It very quickly becomes not-so-subtle:
http://todaysfreegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/picture-102-300x225.png
http://todaysfreegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/picture-121-300x225.png
As the landscapes become more hellish, so too do the other elements of the game. The gameplay becomes more than difficult - it gets downright tricky and mean. The music becomes considerably more foreboding. The little Ready!! message that appears before a stage begins changes to I see you. at one point, which I found especially disconcerting, for some reason.
I think the reason Eversions creepiness stuck with me longer than more traditional horror titles is because it really is a gradual descent. Theres no shock scares, here. Just a slow realization of whats going on, as you progress through the levels.
