Disoriented

Disoriented is a very decent puzzle game for the price. It's a very simple game in concept but it shows a good amount of depth as you play it. The game is all about making your way through abstract spaces where gravity changes as you walk along ramps, with other mechanics such as rotating map pieces and teleporters adding extra complexity in later levels. While the visuals are almost completely composed of minimalist whites and greys, Disoriented is fairly pleasing to look at, the thick outlines and soft shading really complemented the game's peaceful atmosphere and soundtrack. All of the sounds in the game are pleasantly soothing as well. Many indie games that take on a "minimalist" style feel like a collection of built-in assets put together in engine in a few hours, but this is far from the case with Disoriented. The game is fairly short, only offering 30 levels, but your playtime will vary depending on how quickly you adjust to the constant shifts in gravity and perspective. I had a fairly easy time with the game, as I've played a lot of other games featuring gravity mechanics before, but the game still offered me plenty of challenges that changed the way I thought about the game over time. It took me just under 5 hours to fully complete the game. As stated before, this game heavily relies on shifts in gravity and perspective, if you get motion sickness easily then you might find this game quite difficult to get through. I suspect this is why the first dozen levels are so simple - they're there to warm you up to these confusing spaces before hitting you with anything too demanding. At about the mid-point of the game, the difficulty of the puzzles starts to ramp up, and you can hit a brick wall here if you got too used to the leisurely pace of the start of the game. There are some really fun and fair puzzles from this point onward though, so if you can manage to keep your head from spinning, there's a lot of great "aha!" moments waiting for you. Strangely enough, the last few levels did seem slightly easier to me than what had come before, with the standout mechanic of the hardest levels being oddly absent. Unfortunately, the game doesn't really have a ending, or story at all for that matter. You get 30 levels, that's it. Once you're done, it spits you out to the main menu without even a credits scene. There is a kind of "collectable" in the game where you can plant little trees throughout the levels, but they have no impact on anything other than achievements. Overall, Disoriented is a nice little experience for the price. I really enjoyed booting it up and playing a level or two as a little brain exercise in the morning. Every puzzle felt fair and the peaceful atmosphere and visuals meant that I never felt uncomfortable playing the game even when constantly flipping upside-down and falling backwards. I really recommend giving this odd little game a go.