#gentlymad

Endzone: A World Apart developers give a tutorial on “How To Play” in new video, pre-orders now available

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Endzone: A World Apart is a post-apocalyptic city builder coming to Steam Early Access in 2020

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PR: Indie Platformer In Between Heading to Xbox One

Critically acclaimed PC platformer/puzzler coming soon to Xbox One Who says platforming games can’t be sophisticated and emotional, while also being enjoyable and challenging? Critically acclaimed puzzle platformer “In Between”, developed by gentlymad, offers a unique experience as players are invited to reflect on the life of a man dying of cancer, discovering his story and living through his…

In Between

The title features a plot where you take control of the conscious of a man on the verge of death due to cancer. The game is divided into five parts, with four of them each relegating to various emotions the protagonist is trying to overcome or otherwise be at peace with. The first part is a tutorial which is there to familiarise you with basics of gameplay mechanics. The only problem was, some of tutorial stages were all but ordinary levels offering nothing more than progression to another stage.

Just like the game’s levels, my experience of In Between is divided into 5 distinct reactions.

Beginning

The game starts off with the protagonist’s diatribe about a quote by Orson Welles which states that whatever the start, one may choose their happy ending. It’s no rocket science to figure out that whatever is taking place is happening inside the protagonist’s mind, who has been given a short time before he’s extubated.

That’s as much as I could go into the story without spoiling it. It did well to grab my interest from the start as I’m usually partial to such themes in fiction and entertainment. But I can’t say if I was disposed to what was in store for me in the rest of the game, as my mark had been set higher in light of the monologue and bleak artwork.

Denial

It is not unfounded that a person nigh death would refuse to come to terms with his fate, so it is understandable that themes of rejection and denial be an important part of a narrative, which is where In Between plays rather beautifully: putting you against your fears and leaving you to deal with the consequences, starting again and again until you find a way to overcome those fears.

That being said, there’s not much in terms of ‘Denying’ in the gameplay other than running from a black blot that emerges from either side of screen and threatens to consume you when you have your back towards it. Perhaps the writers took the running-from-darkness trope in a literal way. Nevertheless, I was in denial of my instincts for the entirety of the level, thinking that this monotony might subside and hoped that my experience would subsequently get better.

Anger

You would assume that the writers probably spent quite a while thinking this one through in an effort to further elevate the level of experience and bringing maturity to the narrative, but the sheer simplicity of the execution takes you in a rather disappointing direction, with half of the prologue based on jealousy and envy.

At this point the gameplay offers little in terms of variation, with you pit against pulsating circles which would shatter your existence on the slightest of touch. With my bar set high in the beginning I was faced with a burgeoning sense of ‘Anger’ on the lacklustre attempt at providing a successor to previous level.

Bargaining

Wise men say, “To cope with a negative stimuli, think of all the positivity in your life”. When you can’t squeeze any more entertainment out of an activity, you tend to justify the cons with pros. With the profound concept at their hands the developers yet again took an easy way out, giving you yet again a half-baked experience.

This level was a centre point of bargaining the positive points in the face of the mediocre.

Depression

This is where things get a bit interesting, as it gets into the anti-climax of the plot. I wouldn’t want to spoil it any more than I already have, but this is where the game touches on the emotional nerve and douse into the bleakness.

I would like to provide a heads up to those on the verge of a nervous breakdown – this part of the game will undoubtedly put your depression into a hyper-drive. Just saying.

Acceptance

This is where the protagonist accepts his fate, as he is made to go from room to room – in a circle – never reaching a meaningful end which could resurrect his liveliness. It is the point you have been manoeuvring through frustrating puzzles for – the point of Acceptance.

And this is where the player might accept that this game, with all this shortfalls and bouts of mediocrity, has something to offer. Something we humans need desperately. In the end the game does have something meaningful to offer, provided, of course, if you’re willing to take away.

In Between Review       I hope you never have to experience cancer, either first-hand or through a loved one. Facing one’s own imminent death is probably the toughest thing you’ll ever have to do, and In Between captures the beauty and pain of loss, forgiveness and acceptance of one’s own mortality. Gentlymad has created an engaging game of puzzles, nail-bitingly hard ones, all inspired by the…

If you really want a challenge, check out #InBetween from @gentlymadgames and @HeadupGames

Rating: EU Release Date: Aug 21, 2015 (for Steam)

In Between is a puzzle-solving game driven by its story. The protagonist is a man dying from cancer – not a subject often touched on by video games. The game is currently available on Steam, but may be released for Android and iOS later in the year. (more…)

Reflect On The Life of A Dying Man with In Between

I always get quite excited when a game decides to tackle a thorny or hard to take issue, the next bad guy shooter seemingly never further than a few games away. Gentlymad’s PC platformer In Between doesn’t bury its head in the sand by opting for an easy topic; it looks at the life of a man dying of cancer. Heavy stuff.

In Betweensees the player trying to solve puzzles by using your character’s…