One might call Metrico the ultimate gaming expression of the philosophy of causality. In its sparsely populated universe, Metrico presents a world where every action has a distinct reaction. And it is entirely up to the player to figure out how to chain these various reactions to their benefit. In some sense, this is true of all puzzle games. In fact, Valve effectively used this conceit to great effect in crafting two of the most critically beloved puzzlers of all time in Portal and Portal 2.
But what sets Metrico apart is the simplicity in which it hones this core game mechanic. This is a no frills affair, that does away with trappings that are meant to distract and mislead (no GLADOS or Companion Cubes in sight) and instead focuses solely on the singular idea of cause and effect. A player jumps, and a bar appears. A player moves the left, and a platform moves to the right. A player fires a pixelated laser beam, and a platform goes up. Or maybe it goes down. One doesn’t know until they try. And that, is what makes Metrico such a joy. You can’t simply stare at a puzzle and “figure it out.” Each puzzle requires trial and error. It asks the player to utilize the scientific method, testing hypotheses until they fully understand the intricacies of each cleverly crafted puzzle. Then and only then can a player solve the puzzle and progress in the game. And if that sounds too much like, “work” then likely, this is not the game for you. But for those who enjoy the challenges of trial and error, and the subtle joy that comes from the deconstruction of a puzzle into its various parts, Metrico will be a joy.
As is typical of such games, the difficulty starts off slowly, introducing the user to simple puzzles that highlight the core mechanics a player will need to understand in order to succeed. But by the third or fourth puzzle, the difficulty begins to ramp, adding additional wrinkles to what was at first a simple, “jumping equals platform moves down” causal relationship. By the 4th level, puzzles will require you to think through all of your actions and think about them in a non-linear, and non-obvious way to progress. On more than one occasion, I was stuck on a puzzle for over 5 minutes, only for the solution to dawn on me in a burst of inspiration. It is in these moments that Metrico truly shines. Rather than frustrate the user, these puzzles only serve to highlight the simplicity of the design. To show the user that, “Yes, it really is that easy…once you figure it out.”
The graphics, as previously mentioned, are not particularly robust. Blacks, whites, grays, and the occasional splashes of blue are pretty much all you will see in this world. But that only helps to further focus the game on the puzzles. Metrico is definitely a niche product. Those raised on a steady diet of CG animations and fully rendered worlds may bristle at the simple 2d sprites. And some may get frustrated well before unlocking all the various puzzles. But for those looking for a brain bending challenge with few of the bells and whistles of modern PC titles, Metrico might be just the game they were looking for.
Rating: 4/5 Atoms
from Nerd Reactor
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