Video Game Showdown: Old School vs. New School

Posted on September 14, 2012

The folks at Rocket Jump made this. Spoiler: Asteroids kick ass.

Monochrome Game Design: Parallax

Posted on November 03, 2011

Zi Ye and Jesse Burstyn at Toasty Games (well, actually they are Toasty Games) are developing Parallax, a new game with a sharp black and white design.  From their website:

Parallax is an interdimensional platforming and puzzle-solving game. The goal in each level is to reach the exit by travelling between two overlapping dimensions through rifts. Parallax challenges the player to think beyond the spatial boundaries of traditional platformers.

What caught our eye is the minimal, black and white design.  Parallax’s creators told ars technica that they tried out more realistic shaders and colors before settling on this scheme.  “It’s a striking, bold look, and fits the game’s play brilliantly.”  And speaking to DIYgamer, “We think this gives Parallax a rare level of visual cohesion.”

We here at AtariAsteroids.net don’t pay much attention to new (post-1979) games outside the Asteroids family, and even then, we mostly admire the elegant minimalism of the original.  But we tip our hat to Parallax.  It’s not being retro, visually busy, or cute.  It’s a product of 21st century computing.  But it boils the visuals down to simple lines, and in doing so, manages to create a rich, three-dimensional world with a timeless feel.  We look forward to playing it!

Ye and Burstyn have just submitted a beta demo of Parallax to the 2012 Independent Game Festival (IGF).  Follow Parallax Game on facebook, Toasty Games on twitter, and visit their website.  Watch the IGF trailer below.