PEGBJRE: Ethereal and Starseed Pilgrim
I thought these were both calming puzzle games. I was wrong.
Ethereal is a visual puzzle adventure made by Nonsense Arts, an indie studio out of Argentina. Players do not follow a protagonist in the normal sense, as they instead control a tiny blob-like object that is trapped in a fluorescent world of colour-bleeding blocks. There is only one goal that the players have, and that is to find the exit to each level in the hopes of finding the true escape from each of the worlds. Is there more to it, though? Perhaps, but the only way to find out is to solve the world puzzles.
Ethereal is a subscriber to the ‘show, don’t tell’ attitude of design, with absolutely no words used throughout the entire game unless it is for menu purposes. Players are instead informed of how the game works and where to go by visuals alone, thanks to the simplistic yet engaging puzzle mechanic and fantastic art direction. The tutorial is simply the blob moving upward a few times, and then stopping to allow the player to control, but it highlights the entire base mechanic within those few seconds. Players are only given 1 direction of free movement, initially from left to right, with their only way to move in a different direction is to flow through a block; this does mean, however, that they cannot move through blocks from side to side. Blocks must also have an opening on the other side, but players can traverse at any point of the block to move upwards or downwards to complete the initial tutorial area. From there, players arrive in the first ‘hub’ world, where the exit has many blank spaces around it to signify keys, so away players go to find the pathway to the next area, solve the puzzle, and then unlock the next level accessible in the main area.
It’s so simple of an idea, but because of its simplicity Ethereal allows for players to learn the mechanics quickly and with little punishment. There’s no timer, no death, no hard reset necessary for the game to enforce, only where the players start and what the goal for the level is. Even when changing worlds and introducing a new mechanic, the concept and execution are the same; move throughout the blocks to see where one can go, activate anything new and continue onward. For example, one of the earlier mechanics involves collecting 2 of the same shape that are scattered around the map — touching a different one resets the shapes back to their original positions, so it becomes a strategy of understanding which shapes are easiest to acquire first. Acquiring 2 of them may activate an outlined block which assists in maneuvering to gather others or reach the end, depending on the circumstance. No other buttons were introduced, and there was no text to insinuate any of the mechanic I just mentioned. It was all told via proper imagery and thoughtful design.
There’s not a lot to say about Ethereal; just as it has little to say itself. This by no means is a slight against it, for I found Ethereal to be a puzzle game in which I could immerse myself almost instantly. It’s simple, but extensive in its level design and complexity — yet hilariously enough, I found myself only stumped when I attempted to overthink many of the puzzle solutions. It’s a game best experienced casually, with a soundtrack and sound design to soothe players back to a state of calm and collectiveness. If you are looking for a game that can be played while relaxing and doesn’t require a lot of buttons to execute, then Ethereal is easily the puzzle game for you.
Starseed Pilgrim is an existentially soft puzzle game made by droqen, a solo dev based out of Toronto. Players follow a curious character that appears to be a gardener in space, one that can dig through solid blocks sideways and downwards while planting different colored ‘seeds’ to grow blocks of different colours, grow speeds and directional orientation. So where exactly is this little person going, exactly?
I’m going to preface the rest of this overview by stating that I don’t think I can fully understand what is going on in Starseed Pilgrim, and I don’t think my experience is very indicative of the player experience in general. Droqen himself has stated that it’s not a game he enjoys describing, and I’m inclined to agree. It’s certainly not a game easily described, so the below section will be of my own experience.
Starseed Pilgrim is a game in which players make their own story, yet are confined to the limitations that are given. The stage is slowly deteriorating, so the gardener is working towards building a space garden as well as a space in which they survive. Upon reaching certain requirements, the world flips on its head and inverts, becoming a black and white world in which the garden becomes the only place in which the gardener can survive. In this world are hidden items that may have been hinted at in the original world, but are now visible such as keys and chests that players can open. Failure to acquire anything in this realm usually involves a restart, so it becomes a puzzle of gathering seeds to plant more platforms and extend the state of the gardener while maintaining the ability to maneuver throughout the garden.
Is this the goal of Starseed Pilgrim? I’m not certain. There’s no goal that is stated such as in the previous puzzle title Ethereal, it instead leaves it open more for interpretation. There’s no definitive reason to play, yet there isn’t anything limiting you from doing whatever you wish. There is a goal involved, yet it gives nothing to assist in determining what that goal is — an article that is linked below called it an exercise in ‘video game literacy’, recreating how a player would feel if they had no experience with games at all. I played it mostly as a survival, keeping away from the bottom that was slowly being destroyed after not fully grasping the monochromatic world. Others may relax and just plant some blocks and accept fate and restart, or break the code of the keys and chests while working on the enigma that is the design. It’s completely up to you and your interpretation. It won’t be for everyone, but it does require you to play the game yourself to determine that — there’s no real way to describe it that makes a lot of sense otherwise. If this experience sounds like something you’d enjoy, Starseed Pilgrim will give you that.
