Osmos for iPhone released
I grew up in the 80s with a Commodore64. After years with this kingly game machine and subsequently the Amiga500, I feel like I had an excellent education in early video gaming culture. Since then, I’ve gone through periods of years during which I didn’t play anything at all. I largely skipped the Nintendo console generation. Blasphemy, some might cry out. But in doing so I maintained a largely independent outlook on how video gaming has evolved, apart from the multinational entities that now seemingly dominate the field. I sometimes joined my childhood friends in marathon sessions of Super Mario, but I preferred titles like Raid Over Moscow or Dark Castle, and the lush virtual worlds alluded to in titles like Shadow of the Beast, Blood Money (Psygnosis was an amazing developer at that time), Marble Madness, and Defender of the Crown (awesome flash version here). I can remember when Electronic Arts’ game logo was the three primary solids, rendered in pixelated color-cycling goodness. I logged way too many hours in the original Bard’s Tale trilogy. Both the c64 and the Amiga500 were also big on audio. Many of the games featured digitized voices and idiosyncratic sound design. A strange, but interesting new form of interactive entertainment was emerging right before my eyes. Plus there was often the crack intro or demoscene splash screens that started the games you swapped with your friends. Occasionally, those were amazing with or without the game that followed. Apparently, some of today’s titans of techno, like Anthony Rother, got their start composing music for these screens.
Having spent the last 3+ years working as a sound designer in the games industry, I have been quite immersed in many of the new games that have come out during this period. So when I say that Osmos is one of the best, most fascinating games I’ve ever played, I feel it’s a statement that carries some weight. Osmos brings together two opposing worlds: the realm of the very small, and that of the unimaginably large. Microscopic worlds hinted at by artists like Ernst Haeckel mesh seamlessly with objects that inhabit the cosmic scale. When you play, these worlds fuse into a wonderfully immersive aesthetic experience. The art design is a joy to behold. Just as significant, the sound design and soundtrack of this game are simply marvelous. Some of the most respected artists in the now-burgeoning field of ambient/drone music are dutifully represented, including tracks from Mat Jarvis’ Gas project, Loscil, and Biosphere. Given that sonic pedigree I bought the iPhone version just minutes after it was released. I’m happy to report that my inflated expectations were exceeded. This is one of those games that you even enjoy dying in. You play the role of a mote, an organism floating in a Petri dish environment, or is it an alien solar system? Regardless, as you float you can absorb smaller such organisms, which then makes you slightly larger. Sounds simple, but the game cleverly uses inertial physics for a very satisfying style of gameplay. You can speed up or slow down the passing of time, which also happens to adjust the soundtrack playback rate accordingly. As a DJ, this feature is appreciated and adds greatly to the game’s very coherent presentation. I’ve only made it through the first ten levels or so, but I’ve already gotten my $2.99 worth. Plus I just unlocked 3-4 more game modes. Osmos comes with a variety of perks, including trophy achievements, facebook & twitter integration, and a perfectly implemented multitouch interface which is a pleasure to use. Osmos appeals to both the artistic and scientific pleasure centers, planets and stars morph into amoebas. I would say this is the best ‘ambient’ game I’ve seen on the iPhone, but it’s simply one of the best games period, and Hemisphere Games earns it’s current 5 out of 5 star rating on the app store with ease. Try it!
