x y and z be like | Enclosed

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andynomical

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Published on March 5, 2023 4:24:44 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmoazgvDPJY

Duration: 15:32

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dank

REVIEW
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I'm glad I went down a rabbit hole to discover Ludum Dare. So many games on the internet made by talented people yet to be discovered simply because I haven't had the convenience of noticing them. Better late than never though as fortunately this medium has finally caught my attention and so far, the games I've played like Roots and now Enclosed have yet to disappoint.

The objective of this game is very straightforward. Make your way throughout levels to enter the blue door. How that's achieved is the player's understanding of this game's fundamentals which is to open up spaces (walls) in the X, Y and Z axis to progress. The gimmick here is that the level "resets" itself through repetition over distance as when a wall opens up, it appears to loop infinitely. This is a clever mechanic needed as it'll allow you to make use of areas otherwise inaccessible from the starting point.

It'll depend for each person but honestly, the overwhelming nature of something looping by infinity is just placebo as all it does is open up a new path, the looping nature is just a decoy to throw off your senses. It certainly got to me early on to but like I mentioned a fair bit, making good use of spatial awareness will allow you to focus from otherwise three-dimensional anomalies.

I'm glad the level design focuses more on diversity with the gimmick rather than challenge. You'll still require a fair amount of brain power for the levels, it just seemed to me that every level approaches things differently as opposed to a "easy to hard" formula most puzzle/challenge games rely on and I appreciate that.

The colorless approach to the game's aesthetic is a nice touch, I think the colors would detract from the focus a person needs to beat the game. A bright ambient look, calming background music, definitely an appropriate combo to a mental test scenario.

I don't know if I'm going to focus on puzzle games too often but I'm glad I came across Enclosed as it hits just right with the puzzle genre. More specifically, game jam events like Ludum Dare too as these things showcase to me that there is unlimited potential remaining to be tapped into and I will certainly not sleep on it.