Gravity Bone

Gravity Bone is that rare gem: the game that absolutely nobody has heard of that receives universal praise and sets the bar for everything that will follow it. So obscure is this game that, intrigued, I played it once three years ago and promptly forgot all about it. It took a second download and playthrough to remind me what a bizarre and intelligent game this is.

Quickly making a name for himself as a powerhouse game developer, Brendon Chung has already tried everything, from a space-based strategy simulator to a birds-eye view zombie survival horror. With Gravity Bone he opted for a simpler approach, building the exotic post-modern cityscape of Neuvos Aires around the skeleton of the old Quake 2 engine. The offspring couldn't be more different from the parent; cuboid-shaped characters speak in muted brass tones while the bright colours of the late 20th Century decor around them seem to glow and throb with heat haze. It is a beautiful and magnetic game world, yanking the player in and revealing its secrets slowly and teasingly.

Truly, this is a game for the gamers, a love letter to interactive storytellers and those who appreciate the craft. The first level gives almost nothing away the second you step off the elevator, giving a real sense of personal satisfaction once you solve the fairly simple sequence that will allow you to proceed. It's made with an implicit understanding that you will decode the gaming logic, thus Chung turns his attentions firmly elsewhere - to the narrative and the stringing along of the player. Once you settle into the pace of the game you begin to be played yourself, living and breathing the story as it races along parallel to your actions. The sense of involvement and attachment to the world is palpable; when no motives for your secretive James Bond-esque espionage missions are provided, you find yourself creating your own and building your own character from the tiny snippets of information you are given. Like Pulp Fiction's glowing briefcase, Chung understands that sometimes the most powerful plot points are the ones that do not get resolved and it leaves this enthralling world open to future exploration.

Unfortunately, it's hard to critically play Gravity Bone without feeling that it could have and should have amounted to so much more. It's also impossible to talk about Gravity Bone without mentioning that it can be finished in twenty minutes or less. The greatest pain about playing this game was having it end just as any other game would have been getting started. Despite how loudly your instincts will clamour to keep playing to overcome the cliffhanger and get your revenge, the lights still come up and the game quietly and smugly retreats back into its shell, taking its joys with it.

Perhaps I am being too kind. I am not suggesting that Gravity Bone is the greatest game ever - it's at least five hours too short for that. Nor will it change the video game industry, no matter how beneficial some developers might find it to play a title with some depth, subtlety and genuine artistic direction. However, this is still an incredibly written, enjoyable and original game made by just one man and I feel that must count for something. Anyone who knows anything at all about game design will have at least one moment in Gravity Bone that they truly appreciate for being a stroke of absolute genius.

In the end, Gravity Bone is comparable to a £30 starter course at a fine French bistro: elegantly presented, minute in size, gone in a flash, but one of the best things you ever tried. If you're intrigued, it can be downloaded free from the developer.