POSTED 18/6/14


ENTWINED

Sony

Two lovers entwined pass me by, and heaven knows I’m mesmerised now...

These lovers are a fish and a bird. As the latter generally tend to eat the former, it’s likely a good thing that they’re mostly separated in this trippy experience thing. Still, when they do unite they morph into a dragon, so we guess they’re chomp-proof. But then love, love will tear them apart, again.

Looking like escapees from Flow, fishy and birdie are each assigned a screen side. They shimmy around their half circles all Gyruss-like as they shoom through psychedelic tunnels, but shooting isn’t the vibe. Instead, they gulp orbs matching their colour (orange or blue, if it’s that important to you) and synch through an increasingly difficult array of gates that also match their colour (orange or blue, but we already mentioned that – just checking if you’re paying attention).

Fishy and birdie are controlled via the two analog sticky things that jut upwards from your controller. If you’ve all the coordination of a walrus playing Just Dance then you are, frankly, fucked.

Yep, it’s a hand/eye coordination workout. We’ve encountered petri dishes that are deeper, but Entwined is masochistically engaging, for the pointy end levels have you fighting natural symmetry instincts to wiggle different ways at the same time. Or waggle, if you prefer.

There aren’t lives, you just amass orbs on both sides until you’re go for coupling. Miss something and your orb count seog sdrawkcab. As such, if you’re particularly crap, you can plod on for hours trying to complete a level. Joy.
Extra challenge modes just ask you to survive, and that about wraps things up.

While taking cues from the likes of Flower, Journey and Rez in artsy intent, Entwined doesn’t match their brilliance. But as a chilled-out diversion it may keep you happy in the haze of a drunken hour.

CLICK THIS!



CLICK THIS!