It’s been a busy year for Curve Studios with a number of
releases onto Sony’s digital network. The latest of these is Proteus, a largely
experimental adventure based on the concepts of colour and sound. Not a game in
the traditional sense, it aims to provide a unique, uplifting and immersive experience
for players.
The concept is simple, you are dropped at sea overlooking a randomly
generated island. You can then wander around the island and experience what it
has to offer. The Vita can also generate islands based on the players location,
while the PS3 version will do this based on what date it is.
The graphics are highly conceptual with a vibrant colour
spectrum used to put across grass, trees and water in a pixelated, retro style
form. It reminded us quite a bit of the look of old BBC Micro adventures - just
with a wider colour palette. The island goes through a day and night cycle and
seasonal change and each is instantly recognisable thanks to clever use of the
art style. It goes to show just what can be filled in by the player when colour
and shape are used so well.
A heavy emphasis on
sound is what brings the game to life. The islands are alive with creatures,
wind and vegetation. Fire flies buzz around at night, owls fly, while monkeys and
chickens scurry across the floor. Each of which have their signature sound. In
fact, most things have a signature sound and it turns your journey around the
island into a concerto of noises and music that often surprises and delights in
equal measure.
There are landmarks to find and paths to wander along but
there isn’t really any goal to Proteus. There’s even a button that lets you
simply sit and watch the sun go down. There are also numerous events to witness
(which we won’t spoil here). It’s a strange one, there’s no reason to play the
game other than simply the experience of taking in the sights and sounds, but
we found ourselves drawn to come back to it again and again.
There are some riddle-like trophies for those that want to
try some puzzle solving but in truth we’ve never been a huge fan of such things.
Rushing around waiting for little pictures to ping seems to take away from the
main experience on offer which is simply to relax and take in what’s around
you.
Although it doesn’t follow the same structure it evokes
memories of Journey and Flower, games where there is little risk but it’s all
about the experience of playing around and exploring. There’s certainly a fair
bit to see here as well, just no reason beyond the curiosity of the player to
go and see it.
There is a time frame to exploration and after you’ve gone
through your final season it’s all brought to a close with the shutting of a
virtual eye. There are a couple of different endings so exploring again is well
worth a go. The game also has an interesting feature which allows you to take postcard
‘snap shots’. At first these seem just like screen shots but clicking on one
will take you back into the world to further explore.
It’s clear Proteus isn’t going to be for everyone. But if
you are fan of games like Flower, Fl0W or Electroplankton then this could be
for you. It provides a bite sized chunk of serenity and for Vita owners
especially this could be a great distraction through a lunch break or on a long
train journey. It’s more of an interactive ‘experience’ than a game as we might
define it but it’s certainly a very interesting piece of software that does
things differently and thus offers up something fairly unique. For those willing
to try Proteus there’s something quite special here.
Overall 8/10
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