Rating:

Note to indie developers: make more games like this. Black and White is all about interesting gameplay mechanics, even if it doesn't quite achieve greatness.

Additional Info

Full Review

I really, really love this game. In concept.

You see, It's a game built around a single, interesting (if not wholly original) mechanic, and then it introduces more and more, easing the player into it's own wonderful internal logic. In this way it's not at all dissimilar from the wonderful They Need to Be Fed by Jesse Venbrux. The trouble is that, even though I really really like this game, there's a few odd decisions that bring it down.

The basic premise is that you control a white character and a black character, who're both controlled with the arrow keys at the same time, except they move in opposite directions. Direct the white figure into the white door and the black figure into the black door to win each level. There are various other bits and bobs that are added in sequence that all add an extra layer of depth, but I wouldn't want to ruin them for you.

This means the game is based around a visual mechanic, a mechanic that becomes difficult to manipulate when accompanied by some garish backgrounds. it consists of these odd circles of black and white, which I presume were added so the background could be both at the same time, and help you to see your characters a little easier. The problem is that they don't look great anyway, and also make it harder to see your characters since the screen is just so visually busy.

Other problems arise from the unfair collision detection. There are lethal obstacles, and blocks that pop in and out of existence if a switch is pressed, both of which have some odd collision masks. The latter can even cause some impossible scenarios, though the ability to restart the game at any time with the R key curbs frustration considerably.

Black and White is clever, and I think you should go play it right now. I just like the idea of it more than I like the tangible thing.