The Spectrum Retreat

The Spectrum Retreat is a 2018 video game. It was developed by Dan Smith from the age of 15, over a five-year period. The game was made noteworthy by the young age at which Smith was able to develop the game and secure a publishing deal.[2]

The Spectrum Retreat
Developer(s)Dan Smith Studios
Publisher(s)Ripstone Games
EngineUnity
Platform(s)Windows, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Release
  • PlayStation 4
  • July 10, 2018
  • Windows, Xbox One
  • July 13, 2018
  • Nintendo Switch
  • September 13, 2018[1]
Genre(s)Puzzle

Plot

Alex awakens in the Penrose hotel, finding it to be completely empty. With no memory of his arrival, and the hotel being run by few robotic assistants, he eventually finds a circular phone, connecting him to 'Cooper'. During breakfast, the world slowly begins to distort around him. Cooper contacts him soon afterwards, initially attempting to lead him to the rooftop, explaining that he is trapped within a simulation against his will. However, due to the system rejecting Alex's credentials, it is forced upon him to explore each individual floor of the hotel, where the main mechanics of the game and puzzle elements are found.

Throughout his exploration of the floors and its authentication protocols, he begins to remember events leading up to his "checking in" at the Penrose. Prior to the beginning of the game, his son, Robin, succumbed to an unknown illness. Due to changes in health care by Senator Crow, Alex and his wife Maggie ran up enormous medical bills, and despite numerous tests, Robin eventually died. In his grief, he proceeded to meticulously plan the murders of Matthews, the insurance underwriter to denied them coverage, Dr Wright, who failed to cure his son, and Senator Crow, who had radically changed medical care in the state. Maggie found out the plan after Alex murdered Matthews, forcibly committing him to the Penrose as both therapy and to protect him.

Alex eventually reaches the roof, meeting the AI manager who confides that this is not the first time that Alex has tried to check out, and implores him to stay, and pleads that he will change the simulation once more to better fit his needs. At this, the player has the option to either stay within the Penrose, much to Cooper's horror, or to finally leave the Penrose and accept his fate.

Gameplay

The main mechanic of the game focuses around colours of blocks, swapping them around to bypass, or stand upon, different coloured gates. Eventually, the player is given the opportunity to use these colours to teleport around the levels using specifically placed panels. During these puzzles, snippets of the plot are revealed to the player. After the bulk of levels are completed, the player must sleep, listen to Cooper and piece together the story happening around them, and repeat the cycle.

Reception

An early version of the game was nominated for and won the BAFTA Young Game Designer Game Making Award (ages 15-18) in 2016 from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.[6]

Critically, the game was polarizing. Often both praised[7] and criticized[8] for having two distinct art styles and gameplay sections.

It received favorable reviews from sites such as Gamereactor[7] and PassTheController,[9] giving it a 9/10 and 10/10 respectively. The game received an aggregated score of 72/100 on Metacritic, indicating generally favourable reviews.[4]

The game was nominated for "Best Writing in a Video Game" at the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards.[10]

References
  1. Craddock, Ryan (April 4, 2018). "The Spectrum Retreat Will Bring Mysterious First-Person Puzzles To The Switch This Year". Nintendo Life. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  2. "The Spectrum Retreat (Preview)". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK. May 8, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  3. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/the-spectrum-retreat
  4. "The Spectrum Retreat for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  5. https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/the-spectrum-retreat
  6. http://www.bafta.org/supporting-talent/scholarships/daniel-smith-young-game-designer
  7. Bishop, Sam (July 9, 2018). "The Spectrum Retreat - Review". Gamereactor. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  8. Campbell, Colin (July 13, 2018). "The Spectrum Retreat brings color to Portal-like puzzles". Polygon. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  9. Perry, James Michael (July 9, 2018). "The Spectrum Retreat | Xbox One | Review". Pass the Controller. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  10. "WRITERS' GUILD OF GREAT BRITAIN AWARDS 2019: SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED". ALCS. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.