The Swapper (PC, 2013)

The indie game movement has brought back a lot of genres that larger publishers weren't willing to touch anymore.  First and foremost among these is the puzzle platformer.  The forerunner of this movement, Braid, channeled themes from Super Mario Bros in a way that a lot of gamers found pretentious.  I've read pieces, even from game critics I respect, who happily ignored the text at the beginning of every world.  While I wasn't especially taken with the "story" of Braid, I did admire that its developer Jonathan Blow wanted us to explore the symbolism of his mechanics, and by proxy, those of SMB as well.  (Nintendo should really be paying more attention to Blow, since SMB desperately needs to get out of its own damsel-in-distress rut.)

The Swapper is the latest game of this type.  Here the mechanic is instant cloning.  You have the ability to create clones of yourself with a sort of projection gun.  These clones copy your exact movements.  Your gun also allows you to transfer your "consciousness" between clones, since only the clone you're in control of can use the projection gun and pick up items.  The puzzles here grow quite elaborate, as the environment has lights that partially restrict the use of your guns, and late in the game, gravity switching is involved.  I'm a pretty seasoned puzzle lover, but I found some of the later ones in this game extremely difficult - one maddeningly simple-looking room kept me occupied for close to two hours.*  When I finally figured it out, the accompanying elation made my day.

The game has a surprisingly strong story for being so short and puzzly, a sci-fi space venture that references the meaning of consciousness, and involving some telepathic rocks.  I never got too involved by it though, especially since the game's interpretation of consciousness is akin to that of Freaky Friday's, and not to be taken too seriously.  Although I'm not against a story in a game like this, it was the puzzles are what kept me engaged.

What absolutely needs to be said about this game (and Braid too) is that it is beautiful. This game, in its own 2D way, replicates what it would feel like to be in space far better than most games and movies, and some of the coolest sections in the game are these puzzleless zero-gravity areas, where you're using the force of your swapping gun to push yourself around, trying not to be too distracted by the gorgeous space scenery behind you.

Metroid is the obvious reference here (with the perspective, and the doors replicated exactly).  I have to say, if the next Metroid game visually looks anything like this, I'll be thrilled.

*I tried taking a break, but my mind kept wandering back to the puzzle while I was watching the Judd Apatow comedy This is 40.  This is not to speak ill of the movie, which was terrific.  I'm not sure this is worth its own blog post, but I've found Apatow's later comedies to be strikingly good, despite their rather droll-sounding premises (Adam Sandler has cancer and is mean to everybody, and so forth).