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Miegakure
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Miegakure is a deceiving game. At first it looks simple, in both art style and scope, but the unique concept will leave you scratching your head for hours. A puzzle/platformer, Miegakure explores a “fourth dimension” which players must enter to solve puzzles. Designer Marc ten Bosch elaborates in the official game description, “There is no trick; the game is entirely designed and programmed in 4D. Because humans can only see and move along three spatial dimensions, pressing a button allows one to ‘swap’ a regular dimension with the fourth, invisible dimension.”
So how does this dictate gameplay? The player starts in a hub world littered with gateways. Entering a gateway transports the player to a small map, forcing them to solve a puzzle in order to reach the exit and return to the hub. Getting to the doorway in each level requires swapping between visible and invisible dimensions.
For example, in the default dimension there may be a large wall between you and your goal. Swapping to the adjacent dimension will remove the wall, allowing you to get closer to the door, but also puts another obstacle in your path. As a result you need to keep a mental map of where platforms and plains are in each dimension, positioning yourself on the map to take advantage of the changing terrain. After a brief tutorial there are no tangible rewards for progression, just the satisfaction of having bested a tough puzzle.
Bosch notes that his game was inspired by Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, authored by Edwin Abbott Abbott back in 1884. Evidently the book is still popular amongst mathematics and computer scientists because of its exploration of spacial dimensions.
It takes some time to grasp the concept employed in Miegakure, but once that moment of clarity crests, the effort is well worth it.
[Additional Game Details]
Platform: PC Release: TBA Price: TBA Website: Link
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