There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension

When I first learned about this "game" in a Nintendo Indie World presentation, I was immediately intrigued. I downloaded the original game-jam version to my phone soon after, then proceeded to never play it. When I learned that the full game was available on Google Play Pass, I downloaded that too, and this time I was actually committed. Despite the title, there actually is a game, and it's surprisingly cute! There Is No Game is a tongue-in-cheek point-and-click puzzler with a touch of tragic romance tying it all together, but it takes a second to discern all of those pieces on a first playthrough.

From as early as the title screen, the game is trying to stop you from playing. If you manage to make it past that point, you'll be greeted by a somewhat hostile AI who does his very best to keep you from finding any game-related experience within his software. With a little bit of creative puzzle-solving and a lot of determination, you can find ways past his defenses to reach the game he's hiding underneath. However, he may actually have been in the right to try and stop you, because as soon as you reach the game, an evil glitchy AI appears. With little warning, it begins to pull you and the first AI between dimensions to try and trap you while it enacts its evil plans.

Those dimensions are where the main gameplay gimmick lies, and they're the reason the game is so memorable. Most alternate dimensions take the form of a different video game genre, playing on your past gaming experiences through clever parodies while satirizing the video game industry as a whole. While the whole game is ultimately a point-and-click, the different ways you interact in each of the dimensions, as well as their different tones, keep them feeling fresh and unique. They help to advance the story by presenting you with numerous puzzle challenges that give you opportunities to prove your trustworthiness to the good AI, encouraging him to open up to you. The following revelations about his melancholy history build up to an exciting final chapter and a heartwarming conclusion that I had not at all expected when first coming into the game.

The whole of There Is No Game actually ended up being more than I expected when I first started playing. The story was deeper, the puzzles were more clever, and the humor was more frequent. I had thought that I'd enjoy this game since the moment I was first introduced to it, but I ended up liking it more than I had originally anticipated. That's a great feeling to have when you finish a game, and it makes it even easier to recommend. For fans of point-and-clicks, puzzles, cute stories, or capitalism-focused satire, this is a great game to look into. You'll know if you like it within the first couple of minutes but be prepared to like it even more the longer you play it.

The game is available for Android here (as of 11/25/23): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DMAP.Ting_WD&hl=en_US&pli=1
The game is available for iOS here (as of 11/25/23): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/there-is-no-game-wd/id1539133066
The game is available for Steam here (as of 11/25/23): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1240210/There_Is_No_Game_Wrong_Dimension/
The game is available for Switch here (as of 11/25/23): https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/there-is-no-game-wrong-dimension-switch/

Popular posts from this blog

Meow Tower: Nonogram Pictogram

Image
I seem to have a thing for mobile games about cats, and I am a huge fan of Nintendo 's Picross series. Normally those two interests don't overlap, but Meow Tower changed that. Combining the fun of befriending cute cartoon cats and solving intricate number puzzles hooked me immediately. While it's technically not a Picross game, seeing as that is a Nintendo trademark, the nonogram puzzles are still the same, and I loved being able to play them on my phone. Granted, there have been plenty of options to play these kinds of puzzles on the phone for years, but Meow Tower  sets itself apart from the rabble thanks to its stellar aesthetic. The developers behind this game are true artists. While it's a solid, straightforward nonogram game at its core, Meow Tower just looks so much better to play than any of the numerous generic options that crowd the app stores. The bubbly sticker-book style used for the art and menus gives Meow Tower a lot of charm and personality from t
Read more

Space Lich Omega

Image
Inspired by the ever popular Candy Box and Candy Box 2 , Space Lich Omega is an browser-based RPG adventure with an almost entirely ASCII display. However, it chose to step away from the established fantasy style of it's inspiration for a more science-fantasy theme. I ended up having a fun time with this game, despite its need for a little polish, thanks to the unique story and hilarious pop-culture Easter eggs that can be discovered throughout the different explorable locations. Despite the crude-ish interface, I never had any trouble navigating throughout the game. I actually ended up beating it in a relatively short time, especially when I had my gunk production going all out, allowing me to jump my health up enormously. Although I did need to do a little grinding every now and then for an item that I missed, that didn't interfere with my enjoyment too much. Ultimately, this is no Candy Box , but it still has its merits and is worth playing if you ever find yourself in
Read more

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Image
Reusing game engines has proven to be pretty popular in the Zelda series. It offers developers a chance to craft more experimental and risky games, as the initial investment on the engine was covered by the previous, more traditional release. As a huge fan of A Link Between Worlds , I was ecstatic to learn it was getting a pseudo-follow-up. My excitement only grew when Nintendo sent me an early-access demo, and I somehow had no concerns that this was another multiplayer-focused game, despite my preference for solo play. Since the previous multiplayer Zelda games had pretty functional single-player modes, I anticipated that I could expect the same here. Unfortunately, that wasn't an entirely accurate assumption. Like its predecessors , Tri Force Heroes is level-based in order to accommodate its multiplayer focus. All of the stages are designed like dungeons, so they hold up really well for puzzle-solving challenges, but they lack a lot of the same charm you can find in Four Swor
Read more