InSynch has you play in time to a composition that will adapt depending on how you play. That itself is a novel concept but on top of that the game is made out of paper and concrete.
Them Games built the set of their game in the real world and then filmed the inSynch’s animations using stop motion. The result is arresting.
Not many games are handmade, The Dream Machine’s the best known example, so the effect is still fresh to see. All the game’s objects have a touchable quality to them – the creases on the paper, the slight dents where someone has held them too tightly, it all affects the game’s tone, making its world seem fragile.
The way it works is that shapes bounce down the four arms of the cross towards the pit drop in the centre. At the end of the runways is a little circular platform, a spring that you can activate with a keypress. To spring the shapes into the pit you need to time your keypresses just right. If you don’t then the shape falls into the water pool and loses you a life.
InSynch started life as a exhibition piece in Paris’La Gaîté Lyrique, it was created by Them Games and sat alongside other interactive music exhibits. That was back in 2011, it’s taken the team two years to turn the initial exhibition piece into a full game.
InSynch is due out for release on 24 April and you’ll be able to buy it through the Humble Store for $5. Along with the game you’ll also get a Making Of that details the difficulties of handcrafting games.