There is little doubt in my mind that Quantum Conundrum is going to be a great game. It’s simple to pick up and play while still offering a challenge, but that’s to be expected when the lead designer is Kim Swift, co-creator of Portal. Her influence on this quirky title is easily seen from the stylized graphics to the general charm of the puzzles. However, there is the question of whether Quantum Conundrum is going to be able to separate itself enough from Portal when there a more than a few similarities.

The game is played from the first person perspective with players taking the role of a twelve year old boy who goes in search of his eccentric uncle, Professor Fitz Quadwrangle. During one of his experiments, the professor goes missing and his nephew decides to search for him with the help of a special glove called the Interdimensional Shift Device or IDS. This glove has the ability to change the dimensional properties of the objects around in one of four ways though only three were available to try in the demo. The demo itself appears to be in its own separate world so it’s difficult to say exactly where in the game each part took place, but it did give a general feeling for what the final release would be like.

Somehow, the professor is able to talk to players as they move about his mansion though I can’t say whether it’s a recording or him actually watching your progress from where he’s been transported to. Professor Quadwrangle reminded me a bit of Portal’s GlaDOS though he didn’t have nearly the same amount of cutting remarks. Instead, he comes across as a kindly eccentric that cares but can still be a bit of a jerk. As if to emphasize this he is played by John de Lancie, best known as Q from Star Trek. The voice fits perfectly and I can’t wait to hear some of his other comments. They aren’t quite as hilarious as GlaDOS, but they were able to make me smile.

The gameplay centers on finding ways to the next room by using the IDS. Various puzzles and traps are scattered around the mansion and only by utilizing the special glove can the boy continue his search for his uncle. Unlike Portal where the portal gun was always available, the IDS requires special capsules to be inserted into a machine so that the glove can be used. Many times there are simple puzzles to get the capsule before a more complicated one arises that utilizes the different dimensions.

The first dimension unveiled is the Fluffy dimension where every object that is not nailed down is now ten times lighter. In a cute visual nod, everything also looks like it’s been covered in pillow fabric as well. The Fluffy dimension is pretty standard at first with the player merely picking up the light objects and putting them where they need to go. Things begin to get a bit more challenging with the introduction of the Heavy dimension where objects become ten times more solid. One of the more interesting puzzles drops four rows of safes stacked four high. In order to progress, you have to climb up these safes to a ledge but you don’t have access to the Fluffy dimension. So instead, you activate a laser that glides across each stacked safe. Without the Heavy dimension activated, the safe is vaporized but by turning it on, the safe is left untouched. Using proper timing, players have to create a set of “stairs” in order to progress.

The demo also showed possibilities of combining the dimensions. At one point I had access to both the Heavy and Fluffy dimensions and had to discover a way past a set of lasers. From before, I realized I had to use the Heavy dimension to block the laser, but I obviously couldn’t pick it up in that state. Instead I had to pick up an object in the Fluffy dimension and throw it toward the lasers. While it was in midair I had to switch over to the Heavy dimension. This puzzle, more than any other, showed the kind of possibility that the game had. Much like Portal where things seem incredibly simple at first, by mixing and matching the various things players learn the challenge begins to increase.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see any other puzzles like this but I was introduced to a third dimension that slowed down time. I wasn’t allowed to take full control during the demo, instead the ability was automatically switched on and off. By timing my jumps, I was able to ride a launched table down a hallway (that had a bottomless pit below for some reason) and jump off before it reached a blockade of lasers. I then ran around to the other side and jumped back on the table as it came through the other side. First person platforming can be very hit or miss, but it felt good in this case and my missed jumps never felt cheap.

Quantum Conundrum shows a lot of potential and while it has many similarities with Portal, I believe it is unique enough to stand on its own. The dimensions themselves are nothing new, but the way in which they are utilized is where the fun and challenge will come. Between its lighter sense of humor, interesting puzzles, and colorful visuals, I think Kim Swift and her team at Airtight Games have something special for gamers when Quantum Conundrum is released this summer.