GAMES ARE ART
Games with an artistic streak
The appreciation of art doesn’t have to be confined to a gallery. Each of the beautiful games in this collection has the power to evoke emotion, change perceptions and open hearts and minds like any thoughtfully curated exhibition could. It’s time to lose yourself in these gaming masterpieces.
Traverse spectacular terrains
In the much-loved Alto’s Adventure, you’ll glide gracefully on your board across vistas featuring snow-capped peaks, charming mountain villages and lush forests; its follow-up, Alto’s Odyssey eagerly launches you on an incredible journey over sandy dunes, canyons and hidden temples. Both games embody a thrilling sense of escapism that tests the limits of your boarder’s bravery.
If you’re new to the games, you can start with either – both have enticing merits. With Alto’s Adventure the ride is a chilly affair as you conquer endless snowy fields, cross mountaintops and valleys, pass over bridges and fly over cliffs and slopes. It’s edge-of-your-seat stuff and there’s never a moment you won’t find yourself enthusiastically immersed in the experience.
Alto’s Odyssey is a fresh epic ride, but this time the plains of a sandy desert await your board. Landings are smooth, weather effects dynamically alter between sandstorms and night-time shooting stars, and as you flip through the air from one point to the next, that sense of invincibility sets in.
The common joy to be found in both games, is the sense of contented solitude you’ll feel from boarding by yourself, exploring majestic worlds and enjoying the overwhelming freedom that comes along for the ride.
Join a powerful quest
The acclaimed Monument Valley series takes you on surreal adventures through illusory architecture to uncover hidden paths and carry out the destiny of the games’ characters to protect the world and pass it on to future generations.
In Monument Valley, you’ll discover the ability to open new paths by changing your viewpoint in a mysterious 3D world that’s reminiscent of an Escher drawing. As you solve space puzzles, you’ll find invisible paths and collect things to protect this stunning world.
With the sequel Monument Valley 2, yet another impossibly beautiful world awaits; this time you’ll guide a mother and her child. There are no spoken lines in the game, but the subtle emotion is palpable in every scene and in the movements of the characters.
You’ll watch as the lives of mother and child intersect as they move along their paths, each believing the other to be safe. The child will gain the strength to succeed in the role that the mother is playing on her journey.
Throughout, something invisible occasionally speaks and guides you; even when a road is collapsing and the two are separated, it advises you to walk on a different path. Just like in every parent-child relationship, it’s necessary for each individual to learn, adapt and grow.
The characters you encounter in the Monument Valley series, the emotions they portray and the journey they embark on will move you in unexpected ways.
Think outside the box
When you think about gaming you might imagine relentless, fast-paced action; a quest to find something; or lots and lots of fighting, along with a dash of competition thrown into the mix. And yes there are lots of games that fit that bill, but there are also gems like KAMI and KAMI 2, both of which sidestep the mainstream.
The games exist in the motif of colourful paper-like wooden mosaics and geometric patterns. Every puzzle presents a unique (sometimes frustrating) challenge, and you’ll be eager to prove to yourself you can solve it.
Presented with a pattern of colours, you must order the board so it appears in a single hue. The pattern colour can only be changed a predetermined number of times in each stage though. Figure out which colours need to be changed and in what order so that you can change the largest area to the same colour in the fewest number of moves: yep, it’s as tricky as it sounds, but it’s deeply rewarding if you can master it.
The games keep you on your toes; problems that cannot be solved by repeating previously successful methods are interwoven throughout. Suddenly, something that worked out before is no longer viable, so you’ll have to rethink your strategy.
We love how the KAMI series pushes us to expand our thought process and teaches us the value of careful observation and flexible thinking when faced with something new.
All six of these games showcase highly accomplished design and operability, and typically the sequel has evolved into an even more satisfying gaming experience: a testament to the talents of the developers. Delve into any of these games and you’ll see artistic creativity and resourcefulness at its app-making finest.