ISLANDS: Non-places #1

I played this game today: https://carlburton.itch.io/islands

ISLANDS: Non-Places is an "interactive artscape": “Explore ten scenes inspired by the everyday and let your expectations of reality be transformed.”

What this is, is ten distinct scenes with a central prop--a lamp, a water fountain, or a bus stop, centered in the camera. You can rotate each prop, view it at different angles, and sometimes click on them to get different reactions. And sometimes scripted sequences happen. The second ‘level’ started out with a bus stop. But at some point, a bus came along and dropped off passengers (I’m not actually sure if I triggered this). 

I do like the minimal colorscapes and composition--they make this the kind of game which makes you go “oh, this is an art piece.” And the uncertain cause-and-effect--I’m not actually sure which mouse clicks do what and when--makes it clear there’s an auteur behind each set piece. ISLANDS does a good job of conveying prestige.

But it still feels like too much. I would have rather the game omit interactivity or changes to its landscapes. I’d rather it have the confidence to show the mundane without having to justify it with surreal consequences. I liked looking at and rotating the bus stop. Admiring its geometric frames and packed surface area. So I’m not quite sure why a bus needed to come by and interrupt my quiet observation. The passengers it dropped off were floating eggs, packing themselves into the tight space. I already understood the bus stop to be a tight architectural space. Ham-fisted surrealism didn’t need to convince me of that further.