There is something to be said about iteration in games, sequels have become an increasing trend in video games. Unlike movies, the player interaction is high and sometimes the story is secondary. Sequels are common, especially in the modern game industry. Sometimes it takes something truly original to make a statement. Case in point, Dyad.
Dyad
Developer: ][
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Platforms: PS3 (Reviewed)
Price: $15.00 USD
When people try to describe Dyad they cling on to the past to try understand what it truly is. Rez and Child of Eden are often mentioned, but the only true similarities are the visuals in these three games. All three of these games have very trippy visuals that ebb and flow with the music.Tempest and Space Giraffe are brought up to gain an understanding of the cylindrical movement of Dyad . While they both have gameplay revolving around cylinders, you move inside the cylinder in Dyad while Tempest and Space Giraffe are on the outside plane going out outward. Its still not at all the same with any of these games. Strangely enough, Dyad is inspired by the films of famous directors like Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch. I feel it follows cues from their film cues than it does usual game logic of gathering a scene.
Dyad is a game that iterates on itself constantly. It can also change your understanding over time of what it is. The key to this is enemies can be power-ups and power-ups can be enemies from one level to the other.
You take control of a being moving forward on an inward 360’ plane. Some levels require speed to finish and do well, while other levels require a certain action to be performed a certain amount of times.
It's painful to describe this game in such deconstructive terms as the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Dyad’s music doesn’t directly interact with the environment and that’s what makes it interesting. Sometimes you’re moving through with the movement of rain, sometimes it feels like a night club. A large part of this is just going with the flow of the theme. You can easily see this game as a bunch of simple objects or you can go beyond that. The game’s art style flows well with the music and is so abstract it really can change anytime it wants. The visuals are sometimes there to trick you and you really have to go beyond what you can see and instead what you know will happen.
There are also trophy levels that you unlock for completing the regular stages with three stars. These stages are not to be messed with as they will spit your brain out and leave you in a comatose state if not handled properly. I would recommend (as does the creator) waiting until you’ve completed the main thirty levels before trying your hand at these. You are in for a treat with some of them. One level wanted me to match objects emitting sounds together without any help from the color of the objects. It twisted my brain but it made me truly learn something different. You can also remix the levels to however you please if you enjoy pure cerebral torture. Dyad< is one of the best indirectly competitive games I have played in awhile. Its not mean about it but it wants you to know you’re the hundredth best in its cold calculating engine. While it lacks the friend aspect that makes games like Pinball FX2 brilliant, I would love to see this be in the higher echelon of competitive games. While Dyad is brilliant to this reviewer there is a certain amount of getting into it and also going with what its trying to do and accomplish. It will be a hit or miss for anyone who plays it, because it is so different I would recommend trying the demo to see if it gets its hooks into you as quickly as it did for me.
+A cerebral experience unlike any before
+A visual and auditory masterpiece
-Might be too much or too different for some
-This game might not be for everyone you will really love it or dislike it
This game was played using a review copy from the developer