PAX 2011: Quantum Conundrum takes Portal to a whole new dimension
By:
Wesley Ruscher
|
August 28, 2011, 1:38 am
 
Square Enix had quite the surprise reveal for attendees at PAX. If you know who Kim Swift is then you know she is the mind behind the first Portal Game. You also probably know that she is no longer with Valve and wasn’t there to see the completion of Portal 2. Well luckily she’s been teaming up with Airtight Games and hard at work on another puzzle game similar to the style she helped invent.
 
Like Portal, Quantum Conundrum’s gameplay is based around using the environment and the abilities you possess to solve puzzles to move on to the next area. Where the game differs though is in how you manipulate the environment. Instead of using portals to complete each areas challenge, Quantum Conundrum gives players the power to control five different dimensions.
 
 
In the demonstration four of the games dimensions were revealed, leaving the fifth to anyone’s imagination. Each dimension shown defaulted to one of the four shoulder buttons and looked very easy to switch from quickly. The dimesions shown off were:
 
Normal – Pretty self explanatory
 
Reverse Gravity – Things that use to go up now go down and vice versa. This ability comes in handy for changing the direction that platforms travel and also allows the player to throw items farther by toggling the ability off and on.

Slow Motion – Basically everything in the game besides you moves 20 times slower. This comes in handy when precise platform jumping is needed or when throwing items through the air.

Fluffy – By far the cutes dimension shown on hand, this ability makes everything pink, cute and most importantly 10 times lighter. Many of the items in the game that are used to solve puzzles are too heavy for the protagonist to move without this dimension, being that he’s a kid. This dimension was by far the most used one of the demo and often times was combined multiple times with the others.
 
 
While Quantum Conundrum possesses the look and humor of a Disney Cartoon, the puzzles shown in the demonstration looked quite challenging and all had multiple solutions – which is a good thing for those who found Portal 2 a little too straight forward. The demp presented was short and sweet and something that needs to be seen in action to truly understand. With that said though, I can’t wait for Quantum Conundrum when it comes out sometime next year for PC, XBLA and PSN.
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