In order to deal with social anxiety disorder, Josh has created two alter egos for himself: Ammiel simply wants to hide, while Caleb would rather face his fears, mending Josh’s mind in the process. The solution? Traverse a world of black and white in Sym, shifting between Ammiel and Caleb as required, never giving up, however difficult and terrifying the road ahead.
Given its rather unusual theme, the unique art style and overall design are probably not going to surprise anyone. What might not be immediately obvious, however, is that the aforementioned alter egos can’t co-exist. Caleb only appears in brightly lit areas, while Ammiel – appropriately – resides in darkness. Needless to say, frequently switching between the two, almost literally turning the world upside down in the process, is required to progress. That, along with some tricky puzzle platforming, of course.
Take control of these egos and flip between both realms to solve problems and traverse obstacles. Learn to utilize both distinct spaces, to avoid obstacles and find a path to safety.
Getting to the exit in each of Sym‘s maze-like levels is going to take more than a little practice, from what I’ve seen, as on top of environmental hazards, eerie creatures also roam this abstract world! So tread carefully, and whenever possible, look before you leap. Oh and those peculiar writings on the wall? Well… maybe they are just that? Maybe. Hard to say, given the circumstances.
Now, those with an urge to get creative in this game of sharp contrasts will be happy to find that Sym ships with a fully featured level editor. An editor which is not only easy to use but also gives you the means by which to craft a brand new ‘obstacle course’ for Caleb and Ammiel to traverse; to leave your own writings on the wall, as it were.
Sym (and its demo) is available for Windows and OS X from Steam, carrying a $7.99 price tag.
