Substream, a new synaesthesia shooter, has been announced by Indie developer Ben Bradley and it looks rather dashing.
In part the game will use established synaesthesia mechanics, matching musical notes and instruments to action on screen. But in a neat twist, your ship is repeated infinitely into the horizon on either side of you, creating a spectacular hall of mirrors effect.
As an piece of art, it’s designed to be abstract and colourful. And boy, does it look that. The developer explains it better.
“Substream exists in a universe with a spatial distortion causing objects to appear at multiple positions simultaneously. Within the game the player is effectively controlling an infinite chain of ships that are fighting infinite chains of enemies. This requires no additional controls or understanding from the player but leads to several interesting new gameplay possibilities.”
“The best way to describe designing levels for Substream is ‘choreography’. I’m creating a sequence of movements and physical changes that reinforce the themes, rhythms and moods of the music. Essentially the game is dancing.”
But the trailer below explains it best probably. Give it a look.
It is scheduled for release on the PC in 2011 and development for other platforms is “a consideration” says Bradley.