"Do Not Press X+C"?
Yeah, that should tell you what kind of nonsense the game is going to be up to.
Depict1 is a puzzle-platformer by Kyle Gulver, with music by Alec Holowka. (I'm playing the Flash version, available on Flashpoint or Newgrounds. As far as i can tell, it's basically the same as the downloadable one.) Puzzle games often contain some level of brain-teasing, but Depict1 is different.
Namely, the fact that this is a game that lies to you, constantly, at every opportunity. Like Portal, there's a malevolent voice in your ear the entire game. UNlike Portal, your guide is actively lying to your face the entire time, with only the barest of minimums paid to being friendly.
All of the 'rules' are completely arbitrary, and in that it's remarkably consistent. There's something about this one that's stuck with me for a long time over the years- I've never seen another game of its type that's as transparent about its bald-faced lies.
THE OPENING ROOM
I have to shout out the game's visuals, first of all. The entire game takes place in this bizarre, low-res voidscape with unusual shapes flying about in the background. It's morose, abstract, and fits the general mood the game is going for perfectly. And the dark aura surrounding you is an extra lovely bit of weirdness.
Anyway, he tells you to use the arrow keys... But that's wrong. you actually have to use WASD to move.
Yes, seriously. Even the opening tutorial is full of lies. It's that kind of game, and the mind-bending mess will only get worse.
And, when you get through that, it's the same room again. The voice says the beam of light will reset you- he's wrong. It's the goal. Putting the SAME room twice in a row at the very beginning of the game is a bold choice indeed.
This is your last chance to back out before I go into huge amounts of spoilers. Play this game, it's really short- like ten minutes short, and hearing me rave about it is no substitute for playing it for yourself.
Ready? Here we go.
LIES, DAMNED LIES, AND MECHANICS
This game is no stranger to esoteric solutions to things. Pressing Space as the voice asks will just kill you. So how do you get through? You have to spot the suspiciously capitalized J in the word "jump".
Isn't this fun? And this is the opening. There's more.
Even when the voice- let's call him the Advisor- isn't actively lying his pants off, he's busy saying generally creepy things. Free? Not when I'm with you, i'm not.
The music starts up here, too. A bizarre, discordant piano piece that really underscores how WRONG everything is here. It's not subtle in the least- but it's great.
Anyway, don't jump on the monsters' heads. As if the fact that it's covered in dark flames didn't tip you off that it's dangerous. I like how they're surrounded by a light aura to contrast yours, despite its obviously evil appearance.
Another memorable lie appears with this bottomless pit- they wrap around from the floor to the ceiling. At this point, the gimmick of the game is clear. Always, ALWAYS do the opposite of what your mysterious advisor says.
Common platforming objects are turned on their heads constantly. Shiny, glowing gems are in fact instant death spikes...
Springs just break through the platforms you're on instead of bouncing you...
And the mother of all creative gimmicks- spikes can be walked on, eliminating them from existence. It's exactly the kind of platforming weirdness I love, but unlike other such games that play it for rage-filled comedy, Depict1 plays its cards for unease and atmosphere. Everything is flipped around, and it feels wrong.
THE ADVISOR
For all its mechanical gimmickry and inversions of common platforming tropes, this game would not be half of what it is without the mysterious voice in your ear. The Advisor is THE reason I remember this game so well. The entire game, he's lying his pants off to try and get you killed, dissuade you from continuing, or just gaslighting you.
At one point he even tries to fake out a time limit on you, just to psych you out even MORE. Well, it's not going to work, but points for trying. You can wait long enough, and it goes to negative numbers (and pisses off the Advisor.)
And whenever he gets annoyed, he grits his teeth, or simply goes silent. It's a subtle touch, but an unnerving one indeed.
The one time he tells the truth is about button that creates a bridge. A brief flash of being CAPABLE of telling the truth...
But later, similar buttons just drop blocks on your head. He's perfectly capable of helping you, but he decides, consciously, to be as unhelpful as possible.
Whenever you catch him grinning, as with here with the high jump boots, that's another sign. It's a tell that he's trying to lead you astray, or that he's relishing in your suffering and confusion. And a remarkably consistent one, too.
(Those boots make you jump lower, by the way. Which is actually necessary for some puzzles- more on that later.)
And he even tries to force a fake ending on you by putting you in an empty room with an invisible hole in the wall. It's like he's trying to stop you, but some invisible rule is preventing him from just trapping you in a place with no way out.
That's the delight of this game. The most fun parts of Stanley Parable, Portal, or any other game with a constant voice in your ear, is when you go off script and get them mad. Depict1 doesn't even have the pretense of following said script, so it's exciting right from the start... and unnerving that your advisor can't even pretend to keep up the act.
And even when he ragequits by leaving you alone, that's almost worse. Because it makes you wonder... what's he plotting behind the scenes?
But eventually, the Advisor comes back, with a new visage- an intimidating, cyclopean eye. It's not that complex of a design, but the way it's framed in shadow makes it pretty unnerving.
There's more to him, but I'll bring that up later.
DECEPTIVE PUZZLING
Once you get used to the weird anti-gimmicks found throughout this game, there's some surprisingly clever puzzling to be found. These high jump boots predictably make you jump lower, which is necessary to keep from bonking your head on these gems.
The spikes you can eliminate by touching them don't just disappear- you can actually fire them, too. It's even cleverly hinted at by the level name. Even without the obviously false instructions of the Advisor to follow, the game still forces you to think outside the box.
Like here, where you find out you can fire spikes into OTHER spikes to create bridges. That's something I've never seen before in any other game with this kind of gimmick, and my jaw hit the floor when I found that out.
Sadly, you can't kill monsters with the spikes, so you'll have to go around them instead.
My personal favorite room is this one- getting the jump boots, collecting spikes, and gradually jumping your way up this narrow passage. It's a very clever puzzle.
A later mechanic are destructible blocks- which, true to form, can be marked, or unmarked. No, the fun part is that a normal-looking wall is destructible- and the cracked one isn't. YOu can't even trust the COLLISION in this blasted place.
Still, the level name hints at it, so it won't take long to figure out.
Collision shenanigans get worse as the game goes on, with invisible platforms and blocks that lack collision only being navigable by flipping the layout. It's like the game itself is breaking down, trying to force you to slip up and quit through the garbled visuals.
(I admit, this part of the game is a bit frustrating. But it's only like, what, two rooms? Trial and error will win the day, especially since nothing can kill you in it.)
ENDGAME
Eventually, the Advisor comes back, with a new visage- an intimidating, cyclopean eye. It's not that complex of a design, but the way it's framed in shadow makes it pretty unnerving.
Seeing this hall of eyes in the middle of the void is pretty intimidating, not gonna lie. Especially with how he's constantly raving about how he's trying to help you- yet more lies. And yet, the entire time, he's spiralling into terrifying incoherence. He's losing his grip.
Another subtle bit of good puzzle design here- the spots where you're intended to shoot spikes are subtly marked on the wall. Very clever guidance without being obtrusive.
Of course, the Advisor tries to ragequit again, to leave you alone... which, like last time, doesn't last for very long. Meanwhile, the game itself is breaking down into raw assets, as if you're running into parts of the code you're not supposed to...
But this bit, where he's just laughing silently to himself... i don't know, it creeps me out.
About this time is when the title of the game might hit you- Depict One. Deception... it's an anagram. Clever, isn't it? And then, after that, you reach the starting room again. You could go into the light, but... that'll just take you to a fake ending. No, you need to think outside the box again.
If you wait for a little bit, the pillar of light disappears, and the Advisor acts all smug as if he was the one responsible for guiding you here. Jerk.
The last new mechanic appears here- you can't launch spikes into the black walls. Speaking of that- you've broken out of the orange void of the rest of the game... so then where is this?
No time to worry about that now- the final showdown awaits.
And whenever he gets annoyed, he grits his teeth, or simply goes silent. It's a subtle touch, but an unnerving one indeed.
The one time he tells the truth is about button that creates a bridge. A brief flash of being CAPABLE of telling the truth...
But later, similar buttons just drop blocks on your head. He's perfectly capable of helping you, but he decides, consciously, to be as unhelpful as possible.
Whenever you catch him grinning, as with here with the high jump boots, that's another sign. It's a tell that he's trying to lead you astray, or that he's relishing in your suffering and confusion. And a remarkably consistent one, too.
(Those boots make you jump lower, by the way. Which is actually necessary for some puzzles- more on that later.)
And he even tries to force a fake ending on you by putting you in an empty room with an invisible hole in the wall. It's like he's trying to stop you, but some invisible rule is preventing him from just trapping you in a place with no way out.
That's the delight of this game. The most fun parts of Stanley Parable, Portal, or any other game with a constant voice in your ear, is when you go off script and get them mad. Depict1 doesn't even have the pretense of following said script, so it's exciting right from the start... and unnerving that your advisor can't even pretend to keep up the act.
And even when he ragequits by leaving you alone, that's almost worse. Because it makes you wonder... what's he plotting behind the scenes?
But eventually, the Advisor comes back, with a new visage- an intimidating, cyclopean eye. It's not that complex of a design, but the way it's framed in shadow makes it pretty unnerving.
There's more to him, but I'll bring that up later.
DECEPTIVE PUZZLING
Once you get used to the weird anti-gimmicks found throughout this game, there's some surprisingly clever puzzling to be found. These high jump boots predictably make you jump lower, which is necessary to keep from bonking your head on these gems.
The spikes you can eliminate by touching them don't just disappear- you can actually fire them, too. It's even cleverly hinted at by the level name. Even without the obviously false instructions of the Advisor to follow, the game still forces you to think outside the box.
Like here, where you find out you can fire spikes into OTHER spikes to create bridges. That's something I've never seen before in any other game with this kind of gimmick, and my jaw hit the floor when I found that out.
Sadly, you can't kill monsters with the spikes, so you'll have to go around them instead.
A later mechanic are destructible blocks- which, true to form, can be marked, or unmarked. No, the fun part is that a normal-looking wall is destructible- and the cracked one isn't. YOu can't even trust the COLLISION in this blasted place.
Still, the level name hints at it, so it won't take long to figure out.
Collision shenanigans get worse as the game goes on, with invisible platforms and blocks that lack collision only being navigable by flipping the layout. It's like the game itself is breaking down, trying to force you to slip up and quit through the garbled visuals.
(I admit, this part of the game is a bit frustrating. But it's only like, what, two rooms? Trial and error will win the day, especially since nothing can kill you in it.)
ENDGAME
Eventually, the Advisor comes back, with a new visage- an intimidating, cyclopean eye. It's not that complex of a design, but the way it's framed in shadow makes it pretty unnerving.
Another subtle bit of good puzzle design here- the spots where you're intended to shoot spikes are subtly marked on the wall. Very clever guidance without being obtrusive.
Of course, the Advisor tries to ragequit again, to leave you alone... which, like last time, doesn't last for very long. Meanwhile, the game itself is breaking down into raw assets, as if you're running into parts of the code you're not supposed to...
But this bit, where he's just laughing silently to himself... i don't know, it creeps me out.
About this time is when the title of the game might hit you- Depict One. Deception... it's an anagram. Clever, isn't it? And then, after that, you reach the starting room again. You could go into the light, but... that'll just take you to a fake ending. No, you need to think outside the box again.
If you wait for a little bit, the pillar of light disappears, and the Advisor acts all smug as if he was the one responsible for guiding you here. Jerk.
No time to worry about that now- the final showdown awaits.
The Advisor takes the form of... well, you. He follows your movements exactly, and touching him kills you. Obviously the key is that pit of explosive gems... but how will you get him to fall in?
And the entire time, he's sitting there mocking you, not anticipating that you might have a tactic he can't use. And if you wait long enough, you'll actually get some insight as to the Advisor's motivations.
But as for actually killing him- through enough fiddling, you can fire a spike midair, which freezes you. That'll offset him from yourself. Then, you can lure him into the exploding gems.
Do that, and the game completely breaks down, like the screen is shattering from the other side... and you win. Meanwhile, the level name keeps getting corrupted with every crack, until it reaches the last anagram- POETIC END.
Indeed it is, game. Indeed.
After all of that, you end up here, in a space filled with light, with none of the abstract dark backgrounds lurking. The dialogue box of the Advisor is also gone- he's killed off for real, unable to hinder you anymore.
Enter the pillar of light, and leave.
The game's not interested in providing any answers for the weirdness it just showed, but it doesn't really need to. The Advisor certainly makes the most of his screentime, anyway.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Depict1 is one of those games that's really short, but has some really clever ideas for its short runtime. Honestly, I wish it was longer, but that's a good problem to have.
The graphics are minimalist, abstract, and moody. The music is similarly morose and depressing. But the game has a distinct flavor all its own, with the boldfaced straightness of its star, the Advisor. This man's petty seething is the real reason to play this game, honestly.
The game's free and less than ten minutes long- and yet I felt compelled to cover it for this blog. Playing it in my childhood was one of my earliest exposures to stuff off the beaten path.
It's like a bite-sized entry into the highly specific genre of "narrative games guided by possibly malevolent voices" genre inhabited by Portal, Stanley Parable, and ICEY. As far as Flash games go, this is one of the most distinct and memorable out there. It may only be ten minutes, but it's a very good ten minutes.
GAME LINK:
https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/546057
And the entire time, he's sitting there mocking you, not anticipating that you might have a tactic he can't use. And if you wait long enough, you'll actually get some insight as to the Advisor's motivations.
But as for actually killing him- through enough fiddling, you can fire a spike midair, which freezes you. That'll offset him from yourself. Then, you can lure him into the exploding gems.
Do that, and the game completely breaks down, like the screen is shattering from the other side... and you win. Meanwhile, the level name keeps getting corrupted with every crack, until it reaches the last anagram- POETIC END.
Indeed it is, game. Indeed.
After all of that, you end up here, in a space filled with light, with none of the abstract dark backgrounds lurking. The dialogue box of the Advisor is also gone- he's killed off for real, unable to hinder you anymore.
Enter the pillar of light, and leave.
The game's not interested in providing any answers for the weirdness it just showed, but it doesn't really need to. The Advisor certainly makes the most of his screentime, anyway.
Depict1 is one of those games that's really short, but has some really clever ideas for its short runtime. Honestly, I wish it was longer, but that's a good problem to have.
The graphics are minimalist, abstract, and moody. The music is similarly morose and depressing. But the game has a distinct flavor all its own, with the boldfaced straightness of its star, the Advisor. This man's petty seething is the real reason to play this game, honestly.
The game's free and less than ten minutes long- and yet I felt compelled to cover it for this blog. Playing it in my childhood was one of my earliest exposures to stuff off the beaten path.
It's like a bite-sized entry into the highly specific genre of "narrative games guided by possibly malevolent voices" genre inhabited by Portal, Stanley Parable, and ICEY. As far as Flash games go, this is one of the most distinct and memorable out there. It may only be ten minutes, but it's a very good ten minutes.
GAME LINK:
https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/546057
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