After enjoying Echo Weaver last week, I’m in the market for games that gaze with utmost scorn upon the concept of unlockable abilities, smugly declaring that everything you need to complete them is available to you from the word go.
There was a time when the idea of a game without unlocks wasn’t all that novel, you know. Indeed, you young people may be surprised to hear that videogames pre-date the act of unlocking. Genesis-era Sonic the Hedgehog never unlocked so much as a +5% SPD perk. Still, Genesis-era Sonic wasn’t a bizarrely malleable 2D puzzler like Nonolith. Created by Justcamh, it casts you as a hapless gnome who is trapped inside a colossal living edifice. Aside from running and jumping, you have the power to copy-paste, move, rotate or delete chunks of the very scenery.
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At its simplest, this might involve lifting a wall out of the way, or cropping pieces of hanging stone to create a staircase. But there are also hidden spells you can activate by arranging the tiles into certain patterns, in addition to more familiar props such as pistons that shove other blocks around.
There are nine “worlds” within the Nonolith, arranged on a 3X3 grid, and they can be completed many ways. The overall goal is to escape, but if all you do is escape, the Steam page will be deeply disappointed in you. “For the most adventurous, escape is only the beginning,” it thrills. “Reach the highest level of mastery and the Nonolith will succumb to your will. Power awaits the few who dare to wield ultimate control.”
There’s a Nonolith demo on Steam, with the full game coming later this year. I get a slight Animal Well and/or Fez vibe from the thing, though both of those trade in dastardly unlockables.