Closure: Visually like a woodcut

If it's in the dark, it doesn't exist in Closure, a deviously clever 2D sidescroller that once again proves all the brilliant ideas for rethinking 2D games are not yet taken.

For: Playstation 3 (via Playstation Network)

From: Eyebrow Interactive

Rating: Everyone (mild fantasy violence)

Price: $US15

In Closure, the vast majority of a level exists in complete blackness, and anything that exists in blackness does not exist at all.

The object is to employ the available light sources - some static, some manoeuvrable like adjustable floodlights, some you can push around or carry with you - to design a tenable path to the exit. If the path in front of you is entirely blackened, you need to illuminate it lest you fall into a bottomless pit of nothingness.

And if walls block the exit from all sides, you must suppress the light to make one of those walls disappear.

Sounds easy, right?

Sure. But Closure's method of terrain manipulation represents an abstract new way to get from A to B, and success frequently entails disobeying age-old 2D gaming truths and forcing yourself to think along dramatically different new lines.

Naturally, just as the new normal settles in, Closure's 80-plus levels grow increasingly labyrinthine, with multilevel cause-and-effect puzzles, moving parts you can and cannot control, and keys and other objects you must protect from the abyss while also watching your own step.

Fortunately, wicked though Closure can get, the process of conquering it is aggravation-free.

There's no timer rushing you along, and if you fall or have to reset the level, it restarts immediately without fuss.

The pleasant demeanor extends to the visual presentation, which resembles a black-and-white woodcut illustration come charmingly alive. Monochromatic games are in vogue right now, but Closure's stab at it is a fresh departure from its dour counterparts.

Add a Comment

Our journalists are your neighbours

We are the South's eyes and ears in crucial council meetings, at court hearings, on the sidelines of sporting events and on the frontline of breaking news.

As our region faces uncharted waters in the wake of a global pandemic, Otago Daily Times continues to bring you local stories that matter.

We employ local journalists and photographers to tell your stories, as other outlets cut local coverage in favour of stories told out of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

You can help us continue to bring you local news you can trust by becoming a supporter.

Become a Supporter