October 26th, 2012 | By Alex Wilkinson
Tagged in: ambient | element4L | I-Illusions | igf 2013 | PC Game | physic puzzler | Platformer
I went over the information about Element4L, it sounded damn impressive. I watched the gameplay video, I loved what I saw. Then finally watching the trailer I fell in love. This final hurdle was bridged with just one quote “Just like the Goonies”. This just sold it to me. The nostalgia is strong in this one.
I-Illusions is a small indie studio who seem to really take a new stance on physic puzzle platforming games. Element4L will not be your conventional platformer oh no, playing as this elemental block you will not be able to actively move in any direction.
You instead move about via changing the elemental block to one the classic four Greek elements: Air, Fire, Ice and Earth all assigned to different directional keys. It is a very novel idea and means you have to think laterally about the game and cannot just jump duck and run to victory. Check out the latest trailer below:
I-Illusion encourage timing key presses correctly and are less focused on the speed at which you beat a puzzle. This is quite the different stance to the majority of puzzlers out there that reward time completed above all else.
I really like the direction I-Illusion are taking Element4L really creating an entirely different game altogether. The level design and music overall aim to create a very ambient and engaging title. I-Illusions describe aptly the game in one short summarized sentence ”Element4L is a moody and experimental platform game, with a strong focus on smooth gameplay.”
You may wonder what the aim of the game is, well that is still quite a mystery but what is known is you move around this underground labyrinth looking for soul fragments. The reason for this is said to become apparent in the game and creates a nice overall narrative to progress the game.
Element4L looks a very impressive game that really is quite experimental but I love the way it looks and the design ideas behind the elemental block you change.It really is a truly novel idea. I-Illusion have entered Element4L into the Indie Games Festival 2013 and with a long list of worthy indie games, this year really is heating up to be the best IGF yet.
Follow I-Illusion on their official site here to keep up on all the latest information from the developers. Also follow all the news from the IGF here.
Alex Wilkinson (539 posts)
Full time gamer part time writer and a Graduate of King College London I have been playing computer games ever since the days of the much loved Amiga. Playing a broad spectrum of games over as many platforms as possible with a distinct obsession with RTS games even though lacking in much of the micro ability. Tweet me @alexwilkinson