Previews

Hands-on with comic-rearranging puzzler Framed for iOS

I've been...

Hands-on with comic-rearranging puzzler Framed for iOS
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iOS
| Framed

Sometimes it can feel like the App Store is a void of innovation. Another week, another slew of clones to clog up my iPad.

Which is why I have such high hopes for Framed. It's a puzzling adventure story that's about moving the frames of a comic book around so the trench-coated protagonist can escape from the pursuing police.

In the crowded alleyway of the Indie Arcade at Eurogamer Expo I dodge my way through a throng of dallying gamers and shake hands with Adrian Moore, the designer and composer behind the game.

He's keen to get me sat down and playing, which is a good thing because I'm blocking most of the walkway. I perch on a tiny stool, pull on the provided headphones, and tap to start.

The first few pages of the game are pretty simple. There are only a couple of panels I can move, and swapping out the order means rather than dashing into a policeman I manage to pop out of another door and sneak past.

It's a neat introduction to the way the game works, and explains the internal logic behind the puzzles - although things do feel a little formulaic.

But as I progress through more and more pages, the game begins to open up. There are more panels to move, tougher obstacles to bypass, and a greater feeling of accomplishment when you manage to reach the final panel.

One page needs you to rearrange a series of ledges so when you sneak past a police officer you're out of his field of vision. Another sees you moving panels with different ladders on them, clambering up and down to avoid the attentions of gun-wielding sentries.

When Framed spreads its wings a little it shows the ingenuity behind the level design, and this makes for a much more engaging and interesting experience.

Framed is a slow-burner, then, but that's not a bad thing. Each failure usually raises a smile, and slowly piecing together the order the frames need to be in gives the game a sense of progression that would be lacking if things were too simple.

Still, there's a balance to be struck between gratification and challenge, and it'll be interesting to see how Framed manages to keep things interesting while sticking to the structure it's built around.

I pop the headphones off and manage to stand up without pushing anyone over, turning to Adrian to tell him what I thought of the game.

He tells me there's still work to be done, that the music and some of the animations are yet to be finalised.

As I work my way back through the Indie Arcade, I feel good about Framed.

It's an intriguing mix of ideas that's full of potential, and, with the App Store ever-swelling with clones and copies, that makes it more than worth keeping an eye on.

Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.