After seven long years, indie developer William Chyr is releasing Manifold Garden out into the world. Originally announced as Relativity in 2015, Chyr has been toiling away at his creation since roughly 2012. The game went through a successful crowdfunding campaign on "Indie Fund" before taking its current form. The fruits of his labor can now be experienced on PC (via the Epic Games Store) or Apple Arcade. A previously announced PS4 port has yet to materialize.
In the game, players will explore a world inspired by the art of M.C. Escher. With an aesthetic that screams abstractionism, the trippy visuals meet the equally trippy gameplay to create a bizarre sort of existence. Walking off an edge, for instance, will see players fall indefinitely until they hit land. It's a surreal effect that needs to be seen to fully understand.
The striking design isn't just for looks, though. Manifold Garden also contains a series of puzzles that players will need to solve. Utilizing an infinitely expanding world mechanic, some roadblocks may require one to shove a block off a ledge and wait for it to fall from above. Other blocks will even completely ignore gravity, allowing you to create makeshift bridges in thin air. Think the freedom of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's puzzles and you're almost there.
Manifold Garden also makes use of a gravity flipping mechanic. Set foot on the walls and the world will shift to reorient itself. Only those gravity resistant blocks will remain in place because everything else will come crashing down around you as you shift planes. It's just one of the many ways that Manifold Garden will keep you on edge.
It certainly looks intriguing and should make for a solid reason to invest in Apple Arcade. If you're more inclined to own a copy of the game, it can be yours for $19.99 on Epic's storefront. The system requires aren't too steep, requiring only an Intel Core i5-750 to run. Obviously you'll need newer hardware to push the visual fidelity out, but the clean look of Manifold Garden should ensure it looks nice on any setup.
Source: YouTube