It will test your brain to its limits, twisting and turning every thought you may have about reality and perception.
I would highly recommend Manifold Garden on Xbox One to any fans of the puzzle genre especially those who have devoured games like Portal or The Witness. The effects are amazing as well, from the thud of when you fall a small way to the ground, to the whooshing effect when you fall forever through space. The game has a very relaxing soundtrack as well one that is stunning to listen to on its own but also able to provide the most soothing affair for when you want to scream to the god of puzzlers. A personal favourite is found when you fall off a ledge – hurtling through the sky only to land in the same spot never fails to impress. Yes, it may seem like a nightmare, but there are moments of immense beauty hidden within. Eisher is a good marker and it is this inspiration which lets the visual side of things go into overdrive – stairwells that go on for infinity are stunning to look at. It is in the visuals where Manifold Garden flourishes and it is, without a doubt, outstanding to look at.
And for me, whilst it started off tricky, strangely Manifold Garden seems to get easier as you go, even though the tasks required of you are much more complicated. It took me a good half an hour of playing to suddenly get into the groove, working out the rules and understanding the physics before I found myself to be fully committed. It takes a certain mindset to understand how the gameplay works and how a variety of gameplay elements are used – whilst some will be able to work with it, others may well be left frustrated. Personally, I have loved this game, but I’m fully aware of how and why some might find it too overwhelming especially to begin with. Of course, it’s not all as simple as I’ve previously explained either – other elements are presented into the world later on things like streams of water that need redirecting to operate machinery or blocks that can change colour by using a device. It’s an utter mind melter and it’s up to you to use all your puzzle skills, thinking forty thousand miles outside of the box to solve the many different conundrums presented on this journey. How do you get the block over to the yellow side? Well, that is something that will only be dictated by your own mind, and it is only your brain which will be able to decide whether or not this game is going to be one for you or not. But when you switch the perspective of the room to the ceiling the colour is yellow and the red block is stuck on the ceiling. So you might need to collect a red block and it needs to be used to activate a pad to open a door on the ceiling again. The colour of the area will probably relate to what colour the switch is to open the door.īlocks or cubes are involved heavily too. Each area you’re in represents a colour too, so while you might start in a red area, as you touch a wall or surface and the room pivots you may now be present in a yellow area. Hit the right surface twice and your door and switch are now fully usable in the right direction for travel. The solution is that a click of a button on one of the walls or surfaces will see the room pivot around one revolution. Personally, I think it’s one about regeneration. It’s all set in the first-person and as you progress through ever-changing worlds, levels, and structures you begin to realise that there is a narrative running throughout it’s just it’s hidden underneath the madness. The actual instructions you receive are of the bare minimum, as it throws you in deep and leaves you to work out what is what. Manifold Garden doesn’t give you a character breakdown or any explanation as to why you’re in this world or what you are meant to be doing. It took William Chyr – the main developer – seven years to shape this game and you can really tell why. It’s a game that will blow your mind at times, as it changes your perceptions of perspective and architecture so much that you won’t know what is up and what is down. If your idea of an Eisher painting with its spiral stairwells endlessly looping, or the thought of falling through space rapidly only to land in the same place you’ve jumped from provides horrible nightmares, then you might have to drink something strong and take a deep breath before loading up Manifold Garden.
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