I Am Dead Turns “No Clip” Mode Into An Artful Puzzle Game
Rummaging through drawers as a ghost is way more fun than it sounds. Trust me.
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For seasoned PC gamers, the term “no clip” probably awakens something. Plenty of us have fond memories of using games’ command consoles to clip outside of boundaries and explore their worlds on our own terms. Whether it’s soaring high above Skyrim or finding easter eggs in Doom, it’s always a fun feature to mess around with.
But what if clipping in and out of objects was the actual mechanic of a game? Imagine an experience where the developer encourages you to phase through objects to reveal objects and uncover story beats. It’s a far out concept that could absolutely go wrong, but in the right hands, it might be something special.
This game isn’t just a hypothetical thing, however. Annapurna’s I Am Dead, out now, takes this concept and runs with it. The result is an entrancing and immersive puzzler that forces players to think outside of the box – or through the box, in some cases.
Players are put in control of the recently deceased Morris, who’s tasked with preventing a cataclysmic volcanic eruption that would wipe out all life on his tranquil island. Aided by the sassy spirit of the dead dog (yes, she talks), Morris has to dig into his home’s fascinating history and figure out a way to stop the volcano from blowing before it’s too late.
Much of the game’s narrative is delivered through IM-esque conversations, but the brunt of the gameplay could essentially be described as “Where’s Waldo with noclip turned on.” In order to solve puzzles and uncover new plot points, players have to zoom in and out of objects to find what they’re looking for. Think of it like the investigation sequences in Ace Attorney, but in 3D and with no boundaries to each object you can examine.
Despite the game’s overall relaxed and twee atmosphere, these sequences are genuinely exciting. There’s an almost voyeuristic thrill to examining every nook and cranny of a desk, or finding a hidden object inside a miscellaneous knick-knack. I Am Dead is a game that not only rewards curiosity, but forces it in order to progress. It’s slow-going at times, but ultimately satisfying in just how creative each setpiece is.
It’s also just impressive, to me, that a game can take a mechanical conceit as simple as “clip through an object and find something” and manage to build a compelling experience around it. There’s no bombast or spectacle here for the most part – just a guy, his talking dog, and a bunch of everyday objects to rummage through. If you’ve ever gotten satisfaction from digging through a junk drawer and finding something that’s been lost for years, you’ll definitely get a kick out of this one.
My time with I Am Dead is almost at an end, and I’m really excited to see how it all wraps up. But regardless of where I might ultimately land on the overall experience, the fact remains that it’s one of the most inventive titles of 2020. Few games could take this premise and make it work for as long as this one does, but work it does. If you’re looking for a game that delivers an unconventional idea in an enchanting way, you might want to give this one a look.
I Am Dead is out now from Annapurna Interactive.
Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/i-am-dead-noclip-no-clip-game-preview/