@thatdudeguy: Although, I'm thinking maybe my last spoiler is what the inevitable Red Gun does - I've had the specific thought 'If only I could somehow pull these blocks through the null zones' several times already, and that's what the Yellow Gun does. Maybe I'm psychic? Antichamber is an 2013 indie video game by Alexander Bruce. It is a first-person puzzler, where the normal rules of Euclidian space do not apply. You begin alone, in a single room, with the exit in sight behind a wall of glass.The only useful action is the clickable map, which leads to a long drop and the word 'Jump'.From here, all you know is there is a door marked 'exit'.

Antichamber is a first-personpuzzle-platform game created by Australian developer Alexander 'Demruth' Bruce. Many of the puzzles are based on phenomena that occur within impossible objects created by the game engine, such as passages that lead the player to different locations depending on which way they face, and structures that seem otherwise impossible within normal three-dimensional space. The game includes elements of psychological exploration through brief messages of advice to help the player figure out solutions to the puzzles as well as adages for real life. The game was released on Steam for Microsoft Windows on January 31, 2013,^[1] a version sold with the Humble Indie Bundle 11 in February 2014 added support for Linux and OS X.

Gameplay and plot[edit]

In Antichamber, the player controls the unnamed protagonist from a first-person perspective^[2] as they wander through levels.^[3] Regarding typical notions of Euclidean space, Bruce has stated that 'breaking down all those expectations and then remaking them is essentially the core mechanic of the game'.^[2]

The player starts in an antechamber that contains four walls. One is a diegetic menu to set the various game options as well as a countdown timer starting at ninety minutes. A second wall provides a map of the game's space that will fill in as the player visits specific rooms, highlighting passages the player has yet to explore, and allows the player, upon return to this room, to jump to any room they've visited before. A third wall shows a series of cartoonish iconographs and obfuscated hint text that are added as the player finds these on walls of the puzzle space. The fourth wall is a window, showing the ultimate goal, the exit from the space, which the player must figure out how to get to.

Puzzle elements in various chambers involve maneuvering themselves around the spaces, where level elements can change after passing certain points, or even based on which direction the player is facing when traversing the level. Laser beams are used as mechanisms to control various doors; these may either require the beams to be blocked or unblocked, and many doors require multiple beams to be in their proper state to open. Initially, the player can trigger these themselves. Later, the player gains access to a series of colored 'guns', each which helps the player access more of the space. Initially, the gun can pick up any number of small cubes, storing them, and then place them on surfaces; these can be used to block the aforementioned laser beams, or used as platforms for the player to get over obstacles. Other guns can be used to 'grow' new blocks by placing blocks out in specific patterns, to direct a connected series of blocks towards an objective point, and to mass create and fill an area with blocks; later guns retain the abilities of the earlier ones. Certain areas in the space are dead zones that remove any blocks stored in the gun or prevent blocks from moving through them. After most puzzles are signs with the forementioned iconographs which can be activated to give a hint about the just-completed puzzle. At any point, the player can jump back to the first room, and use the map to navigate to other areas; this resets any progress made on specific puzzles though the player retains the guns they have obtained.

Toonstruck game. Directed byWriting Credits.(based on an original idea by) &.(based on an original idea by).(screenplay) &.(screenplay) &.(screenplay).(additional writing) &.(additional writing).(cartoon characters) (uncredited)Cast(in credits order).Drew Blanc.Count Nefarious(voice).Flux Wildly(voice).King Hugh(voice) (as David Ogden-Stiers).'

Upon completing a core set of puzzles, the player can then access the exit door, upon which they start to chase down a black cloudlike shape, using all the solving techniques they have learned before. Eventually they are able to capture the cloud as a black cube within their gun, and enter a final, more expansive area, where they return the shape to a waiting shell. The shell creates a structure around it – similar to the game's logo – and then sucks everything around it into its center, sending the screen to black and ending the game.

Development[edit]

Antichamber started as early as 2006 as Bruce's idea for an arena combat game based on expanding the mechanics of the game Snake into a multiplayer experience. Full development of the game, initially called Hazard, did not start until 2009 and continued into 2010.^[4] Bruce developed the game using UnrealScript with the Unreal Engine 3.^[4] As Bruce iterated through its design, he dropped the combat portion and chose to focus more on a single-player puzzle game along with the psychology of the puzzles, eventually adding the subtitle 'The Journey of Life' in 2009.^[3][4][5] Part of this change came about how he was able to create Impossible Object spaces within the Unreal Engine, which came about as a result of a 'rookie error' in coding.^[6] Bruce recognized that there was a single-player game behind creating spaces and puzzles where the player would have to work out how the rules work, and expanded the game in that direction.^[4] Bruce said in a 2011 interview with Kotaku that 'the game started off as being all about geometry..I needed to find a way to represent that [non-physical geometry] to players..so I needed to work out why we would need this non-physical geometry in the world and it took me a couple years but after combining geometry and space and perception, I realized that the real reason that this game is interesting and is working is because it's about psychology.'^[2] As he worked out puzzles, he found that injecting philosophical ideas helped to lead to puzzle designs or otherwise augment established puzzles, and made that part of Antichamber's approach.^[4] The game's simple art style was partially to distinguish the game from other Unreal Engine games, while also to aid in masking the work behind the inverse lighting system used in the game.^[4]

On April 2, 2012, Antichamber became the seventh game to receive funding from the Indie Fund with Bruce citing the award as 'finishing funds' to ensure the game can be released in 2012, and was ultimately released in January 2013.^[7][8]

Music[edit]

The soundtrack for Antichamber consists of ambient music composed by Siddhartha Barnhoorn.^[9] The music evolves over the course of the game, starting with nothing more than one ambient layer in the first level and gradually progressing into a complex soundscape. In an interview with IndieGames.com, Barnhoorn revealed that the soundtrack comprises sounds from various guitars, the shakuhachi, the koto, and synth pads. In addition, Barnhoorn stated that the non-synth sounds are digitally manipulated 'here and there in order to make the sounds a bit longer than they would appear naturally'.^[10]Antichamber Suite, a track consisting of music from the game, was released via Bandcamp on February 13, 2012.^[11] The track was also featured in the Nubuwo Debut Bundle released March 2, 2012.^[12] The full soundtrack was released on February 18, 2013.^[13]

Reception[edit]

Pre-release[edit]

Antichamber was well received by critics prior to its commercial release. In 2009 the game was featured in the showcase at the Tokyo Game Show Sense of Wonder Night, and was a finalist in the Independent Games Festival China.^[24] In 2010, indiePub Games's third Independent Game Developers' Competition awarded Antichamber the prize for Technical Excellence.^[25] In 2011 the game was as a finalist in GameStop's Indie Game Challenge,^[26] and in the Make Something Unreal competition (run by Epic Games), the game won 1st for Best Level for a Mod in Phase 4, 3rd for Best non-FPS Mod in Phase 4, and 5th place overall in the grand finals.^[27][28] During the 2011 Independent Games Festival, Antichamber wound up as a finalist for the Nuovo Award, which recognizes 'abstract, short-form, and unconventional game development.'^[29] Also in 2011, the game made it into the PAX 10 and finished as a finalist in the IndieCade festival.^[30][31] In 2012, Antichamber took home the Technical Excellence Award at the Independent Games Festival.^[32]

Post-release[edit]

Antichamber has received critical acclaim, with score aggregators Metacritic and GameRankings giving overall scores of 82/100^[15] and 83.70%^[14] respectively.

Most reviewers praised the level design and puzzles in the game. Game Informer wrote that 'I rarely ever felt stuck or frustrated by a lack of progress – a testament to Antichamber's pacing and design',^[17] and GameTrailers said 'The true star of Antichamber is its level design.'^[19]PC Gamer described the game as hosting 'moments of transcendent beauty and vignettes that engage your brain on a level few games attempt'^[22] and IGN called the puzzles 'expertly crafted and wonderfully inventive challenges.'^[21]

Within two months of its release on Steam the game sold more than 100,000 copies, with most of the sales coming during the first week of release.^[33]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^ab'Alexander Bruce Presskit – Antichamber'. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
2. ^ ^abc'8 1/2 Minutes of Antichamber My Favorite Game of PAX 2011. It's 'First-Person Escher.''. Kotaku.com. August 29, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
3. ^ ^abJC Fletcher (July 6, 2011). 'Indie game 'Hazard: The Journey of Life' is now Antichamber'. Joystiq. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
4. ^ ^abcdefCarless, Simon (February 3, 2011). 'Road To The IGF: Alexander Bruce's Hazard: The Journey Of Life'. Game Set Watch. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
5. ^Jessica Conditt (February 1, 2013). 'Antichamber: How a game of impossible spaces came together'. Engadget. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
6. ^'How do you run and jump in warped space?'. CultureLab. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
7. ^'Indie Fund Now Backing Antichamber « Indie Fund'. Indie-fund.com. April 2, 2012. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
8. ^Conditt, Jessica (April 9, 2012). 'Antichamber and Indie Fund: A match made in M.C. Escher's basement'. Joystiq. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
9. ^'Siddhartha Barnhoorn Composer for Film Sound Designer'. Sidbarnhoorn.com. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
10. ^'The Weblog Siddhartha Barnhoorn Q&A: Antichamber Suite'. IndieGames.com. February 27, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
11. ^/ (February 13, 2012). 'Antichamber Suite Siddhartha Barnhoorn'. Siddharthabarnhoorn.bandcamp.com. Retrieved April 29, 2012.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
12. ^'Nubuwo Debut Bundle: adventures in videogame audio by Jeriaska ジェリアスカ — Kickstarter'. Kickstarter.com. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
13. ^'Antichamber; Siddhartha Barnhoorn'. Siddharthabarnhoorn.bandcamp.com. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
14. ^ ^ab'Antichamber for PC – Gamerankings'. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
15. ^ ^ab'Antichamber (PC)'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
16. ^'Review: Antichamber'. January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
17. ^ ^ab'A lesson in originality – Antichamber – PC'. January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
18. ^'Antichamber Review'. January 31, 2013. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
19. ^ ^ab'Antichamber – Review'. February 12, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
20. ^'Antichamber Review – Giantbomb'. February 12, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
21. ^ ^abGallegos, Anthony (January 31, 2013). 'Antichamber Review – IGN'. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
22. ^ ^ab'Antichamber Review – PCGamer'. January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
23. ^'Antichamber review: mobius trip – Polygon'. January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
24. ^'November 17–19, 2012︱Shanghai International Convention Center︱Shanghai, China'. Gdcchina.com. April 12, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
25. ^indiePub Games (October 7, 2010). '3rd Independent Game Developers' Competition Awards Announced'. indiePub Games. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
26. ^'Hazard: The Journey of Life'. Indie Game Challenge. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
27. ^'Make Something Unreal: Phase 4 Winners'. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
28. ^'Make Something Unreal: Final Winners'. Archived from the original on May 24, 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
29. ^'News – 2011 Independent Games Festival Reveals Nuovo Award Finalists'. Gamasutra. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
30. ^Conditt, Jessica (July 9, 2011). 'PAX 10 says these are the best indie games'. Joystiq. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
31. ^'2011 Festival :: IndieCade – International Festival of Independent Games'. IndieCade. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
32. ^'The 14th Annual Independent Games Festival Finalists'. Igf.com. April 10, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
33. ^McElroy, Griffin (March 20, 2013). 'Antichamber passes 100K sales mark on Steam'. Polygon. Retrieved March 20, 2013.

External links[edit]

Cheat CodesNote: This procedure involves editing a game file; create a backup copy of the file before proceeding. Use a text editor to edit the 'DefaultInput.Ini' file in the game folder, which is probably in the 'C:Program FilesSteamsteamappscommonAntichamberUDKGameConfig' directory.

Locate the following section:Engine.ConsoleConsoleKey=TildeTypeKey=Tab;—————————————————————————————–; Uncomment these to disable the console access;—————————————————————————————–ConsoleKey=NoneTypeKey=NoneNotice there are two entries for the 'ConsoleKey' command. Change the second instance (the one that was originally 'ConsoleKey=None') to any desired key (for example, 'ConsoleKey=F12'). Then while playing the game, press that key to display the console window.

Type one of the following codes and press Enter to activate the corresponding cheat function: ResultCheat CodeGod modegodToggle invisibilityinvisible 0 or 1No clipping modeghostFlight modeflyDisable no clipping or flight modeswalkToggle third person viewbehindview 0 or 1Set game speed; '1.0' is defaultslomo numberObtaining gunsProgressing in the game relies on the manipulation of blocks to solve puzzles. To assist with this, there are various guns in the game world that improve with more functionality than the previous one. The guns, their functions, and the quickest way to get them are as follows:Blue gunStarting at Leap Of Faith, jump, walk at Into Darkness, go straight past the first corner (do not go right), and continue going into the dark, at There's No Way In. Go around to the bright side of the lattice, and look right into it. You will enter Logic 101, which has the blue gun. The blue gun retrieves and places individual colored blocks in the game world.Green gunAt Leap Of Faith, there is a large eye on the wall behind you; stare at it. After the wall disintegrates, go into A Game Of Leap Frog, and use the two blocks to leapfrog into the middle of the three lasers.

Patience will be rewarded with a quick route to the gun, leading into Learning To Draw. The green gun adds block drawing functions, and makes more blocks by creating hallow spaces with the blocks.Yellow gunAfter getting the green gun, return to Stairway To Heaven to gather green blocks.

There is a trap door, with invisible stairs covering it, which leads to a respawning barricade of green blocks. Once at least twenty blocks are collected, jump while over the inertia elevator.

The invisible stairs will no longer prevent you from falling, which will allow you to land on it and proceed into The Butterfly Effect. The Butterfly Effect is guarded with a yellow emancipator section and glass partitions, but they do not go all the way up the ceiling, nor is a pink emancipator before it - so you can dispense the blocks over these partitions, then re-collect them on the other side. Salt and sanctuary cheats. Stand over the red room after the mechanical elevator is influenced by the large box structure in the puzzle, then shoot below your feet to elevate into it. Re-collect the blocks again, and proceed to the locked door, using the blocks to access the next room. Enter the foyer, and collect the single green block to open the door, then proceed to the yellow gun.

The yellow gun adds block moving functions, and can be used to create elevators on-demand.Red gunStarting at Leap Of Faith, go straight over the invisible floor, continue straight, then turn left at the first intersection - watch out for the floor trap. Then, turn left again into what appears to be a dead end. There are a row of blue blocks on the other side. Collect one, and backtrack to where you began. Look down at the glass floor, and you will get the 'UP' hint. Go up by placing the block down, then commanding it to ascend to the ceiling. At The Highest Point, solve the puzzle.

This will require some time, as not only do you need to make the blocks connect together in a square twice, you also need to separate the blocks at the lasers by collecting them and temporarily removing them from the body, then move the adjacent blocks before the collected block respawns. Once the puzzle is solved, collect your reward, which leads into I Can Do Anything. The red gun adds the ability to paint blocks en masse, allowing you to cover wall, floor, and ceiling with the blocks.

It also multiplies collected blocks; thus, as as long you have two blocks, you will have an unlimited supply. Keeping the black gunIn The End when you collect the black hypercube, your gun will turn black.

If you press Esc just after collecting this entity, you will keep the black gun. Elevating without yellow gunWhile repetitive, it is possible to use a single block against a wall to reach higher areas by taking it from beneath your feet, jumping as it disappears, and placing it below you mid-air. If done correctly, you will slowly scale any wall. This becomes useless once you get the yellow gun, but it is a very good way to explore normally unreachable areas early in the game.