Strange Foreign Games | Isabelle (1999)
23The player controls George, a young blind man who has to convince his village that More, a villain who has assumed power locally, is masterminding a wicked plot. George is assisted by Raymond, his younger brother, to thwart Isabelle, George's own fiancee (who finds More's tyranny seductive). Many found the game to be bizarre and confusing, but colourful and innovative. Soon after the game's release, Isabelle won the Möbius prize in the categories of Critique and Fiction. With its bright, beautiful world, abstract characters, and humorous animation, Isabelle screams "I'm different!" - a welcome message indeed in the increasingly stagnant adventure genre. Isabelle's gameplay elements match its graphics in terms of quirkiness. The player controls (in alternating fashion) two little boys. The first is named George, who is blind, and the other is Raymond, his bratty little brother. The twist is that the world is seen differently when playing each character. Raymond sees the world as it "is," while George, who can only imagine it in his mind's eye, sees it in a completely different light. This comes into play in terms of the puzzles in the game, which often require using George's perspective to alter Raymond's reality. For example, Raymond may encounter an obstacle which he cannot seem to pass. But to George, the obstacle appears insignificant, and he can remove it without difficulty, which in turn lets Raymond advance. Playing Isabelle is a very open-ended experience, as players have complete freedom of movement through its vast and unique 3D world. Sprinkled about are dozens of oddball characters who, in keeping with the abstract tone of the game, speak a make-believe language, which is essentially unintelligible yet nonetheless indicates the general emotional state of the speaker. The game also includes a narrative track, which explores the thoughts of Raymond and George and helps to move the story along. Combine all this with a complex story filled with odd allusions and hidden meanings, and you have a truly surreal game world that should appeal to gamers and semiotic students alike.