Kim Swift’s philosophies are prominent in Air Tight’s Portal-like first-person puzzler, and you feel it ever step of the way; that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the time I spent with the game proved to be challenging, rewarding, and satisfying. Where the two games stand apart lies in the games atmosphere, yet they’re two wonderfully atmospheric examples in their own right.
Quantum Conundrum is colorful and charming. It stars a 12 year old boy who fiddles about in the mansion labs of a missing inventor uncle, Professor QuadWrangle. Cute, right? The mansion shared the atmosphere of Alice in Wonderland; exaggerated in design and awkwardly appealing. Call me intrigued.
Where Portal used…portals to twist the player through puzzle-solving, Quantum Conundrum uses dimension-shifting; as in a “fluffy” dimension objects are fluffy and light, or in a time-less dimension everything stops. Let me tell you, dimension shifting is a really fun and interesting mechanic that lends itself to some satisfying moments quickly.
Tossing a small pillow at a window only to shift into a heavy dimension to watch the pillow shatter the glass wasn’t even part of the puzzle-solution, but it was fun. I also platformed across living room objects as dimensions alternated between regular and slow-mo in an intense and exhilarating moment of desperation.
Quantum Conundrum was one of my favorites of show. It challenged my intelligence and satisfied my inner gamer, all while making me laugh and smile for a few minutes this weekend. If you enjoyed yourself some Portal, this new Kim Swift joint should be on your radar.
Release: Summer 2012
Platform: PS3, 360
