Four Sided Fantasy
Description
Four Sided Fantasy is a puzzle game played as a side-scrolling platformer. It largely expands on the concept of the 2012 title The Fourth Wall the main developer Logan Fieth created as a student project at DigiPen. In this wordless game the player controls two characters, in turns, as they move through a side-scrolling environment. Much like The Fourth Wall the player can "lock" the screen at any moment, turning it into a single-screen environment with the visual effect of freezing a video recording. At that moment it is possible to wrap through all four sides of the screen without touching the ground as long as there is no barrier. Exit on the left and appear on the right, fall down the bottom and drop down again from the top. With each "wrap" the controlled character is switched, from the man to the woman and vice versa. All puzzles in the game are based on this core mechanic, with variations and new elements introduced gradually. Visually the game is based on the four seasons.
Most areas require the player to carefully examine the environment and position the screen in a meaningful way before locking it. There are however also fast sections that require quick switches, as there are static barriers that kill a character instantly. Another trick is that when the top of a locked screen has a barrier, but the bottom does not, the bottom of the screen can be used as a platform, even when it is just air. There is no story, text, dialogue or voice-acting in the game, only the two characters and the seasons as the background.
New types of tricks are introduced gradually, such as collecting batteries to remove barriers, moving platforms and obstacles, launchers to jump higher etc. Later levels introduce a gravity-flipping mechanic with air momentum reminiscent of VVVVVV. Other mechanics include working with two different screens at once and incorporating the foreground and the background. There are several worlds, a new game+ and secret areas to discover.
