the onda

Over the last month, I've come across two absolutely awesome games that are driven not by shooting and killing or by incredible graphics, but by a series of puzzles underpinned by great physics models. The first was 2D Boys: World of Goo, which I downloaded from the Nintendo Wii store for $15 and consists of using the controller to build structures out of Goo balls that have to fit, squeeze, climb, and just generally survive the challenges posed by the world in Goo.

Sound like it can get boring? Absolutely. Does it? No way. Between the use of the wiimote and the awesome soundtrack, you will only discover how much time has passed when the RSI sets in from gripping the controller so tightly for hours on end.

The second game, Enigmo (for the iPhone), is all about redirecting a stream of droplets to get them to perform gravity-defying feats. Though a bit less entertaining than Goo, it is still a load of fun, and made amazing by the portable nature of the iPhone.

I am not a huge gamer by any stretch but have been struck by the way in which these two games share a lot of the elements of the original Atari/Intellivision/Apple II games where the limits of the hardware pushed the developers into building truly engaging and innovative gameplay. Except that in these two cases the hardware itself is something that all of those 1970s programmers would have killed for— except that now, everything from the physics models to the UI interaction takes advantage of it.

One final note: both games were purchased purely as bits without much thought as to their cost. iTunes really did create the mental shift to this new model of paying for stuff online, and companies like Nintendo are smart to follow.