Asterism

What a very brilliant and lovely thing this is. A pure indie game through and through. It’s structured as an indie-rock space opera album: each planet a new song, and a vibrant new art style. Each of the planets you visit are essentially playable music videos, which, taken together, tell an engaging story that ends rather brilliantly. The handcrafted, mixed media art styles are all are incredibly tactile and beautifully messy. The world is surprisingly immersive; surprising because you can see the creator’s hand in everything (sometimes you can literally see their fingerprints in some of the models). It’s like you’re sharing in their delight in the creative process, while simultaneously losing yourself in the fictional world. This is quite an artistic feat. The main story is light on traditional gameplay elements, but the interactivity of the music and movement kept me fully engaged, and there’s some more ‘gamey’ elements on offer if you’re a trophy seeker. All the song...

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if you liked Sayonara Wild Hearts, you'll really dig this. If you didn't, play it anyway, you'll probably still really dig this.

Asterism is a truly unique experience, it's handcrafted visuals make every level feel unique and the music and gameplay of each place we visit pulls you into its own world. The mystery at the heart of the game will hook you in from the start and forms the core of a beautiful story. If you like science fiction, cool art and great music you owe it to yourself to play Asterism

Asterism reminds me of an art CD-ROM from the 1990s, when CD-ROMs were considered “new media” and had their own section in book and software outlets – and if it had been released as such, would probably have gotten critical attention as a “significant new form.” It’s not exactly a game (although I’ve given up trying to define what is and isn’t a game). The Scottish developer, Claire Morwood, calls it “a playable indie-rock concept album set in outer space.” You play as Ruby, a scientist based in a lab on the sun in a solar system that is obviously not ours. Having spent years trying to decipher curious signals from planets within the system, she decides that she needs to visit each of them to learn more. So she embarks on her space ship, the Solar Flare, to do just that. Each planetary visit unlocks an alt-rock song, quite well done, but mostly fairly surreal in terms of lyrics (though one obviously refers to Brexit, and not in a happy way). The visuals – create...

Very, very avant-garde. Not for anyone expecting a conventional game. But it's a very beautiful, weird, sophisticated experience. The songs are haunting, the visuals a throwback to the early 90s, and the whole thing is quite unlike anything else you've played.