After playing Echo Weaver last week, I’m looking for games that most disregard the concept of unlockable abilities, smugly declaring that everything you need to complete them is at your disposal from the start.
There was a time when the idea of an unlock-free game wasn’t that new, you know. Indeed, you youngsters may be surprised to learn that video games predate the act of unlocking. Sonic the Hedgehog from the Genesis era never unlocked a +5% SPD advantage. Yet Genesis-era Sonic wasn’t a weirdly malleable 2D puzzler like Nonolith. Created by Justcamh, it casts you as an unfortunate gnome trapped in a colossal living edifice. In addition to running and jumping, you have the power to copy-paste, move, rotate or delete pieces of the landscape itself.
In its simplest form, this may involve lifting a wall or cutting pieces of hanging stone to create a staircase. But there are also hidden spells that you can activate by arranging tiles in certain patterns, in addition to more familiar props like pistons that push other blocks.
There are nine “worlds” in Nonolith, arranged on a 3X3 grid, and they can be completed in several ways. The overall goal is to escape, but if all you do is escape, the Steam page will be deeply disappointed in you. “For the most adventurous, escaping is only the beginning,” he enthuses. “Reach the highest level of mastery and the Nonolith will succumb to your will. Power awaits those who dare to exercise ultimate control.”
There is a demo of Nonolith on Steamwith the full game available later this year. I get a slight Animal Well and/or Fez vibe from the thing, although both trade in vile unlockable items.
