56K modems and proper syntax are the tools of the trade in Blendo’s new heist game.
Blendo Games, makers of such electronic delights such as Atom Zombie Smasher and Thirty Flights of Loving, have never been known for their historical accuracy. Their latest game continues this fine tradition by possibly being a victorian 80’s cyberpunk adventure. Quadrilateral Cowboy will have you staging elaborate heists using your trusty “top-of-the-line hacking deck, armed with a 56.6k modem and a staggering 256k RAM.”
While Quadrilateral looks like an FPS, most of the game will take place via command line. From the comforting borders of that black prompt, you’ll type out the proper syntax to do everything from open a door to manipulate machines. For example, the command “cam8.off(3); wait(2); cam3.off(3)” could turn off cameras 8 and 3 two seconds apart. Mixing code hacking with a 3D environment opens up all kinds of wonderful opportunities for open-ended puzzles.
If the name Quadrilateral Cowboy sounds familiar, that’s because it was one of the many in-jokes hidden in Blendo’s previous title, the dream-like Thirty Flights of Loving. Blendo Games has always had a unique style that straddles art deco and retro-futurism, and their latest effort looks no different. Interested parties can get a sample of this heady draft by downloading their short espionage game Gravity Bone at their website for free.
There’s always been a segment of my mind that loves solving problems like these, but the real world isn’t as good at presenting puzzles of successive difficulties. Given the code examples that I’ve seen so far, it looks like Quadrilateral could double as a real-world training tool for those interested in programming, similar to ComputerCraft or 0x10c. Those looking to becoming Hollywood hackers, on the other hand, might be better off sticking with Uplink.
Quadrilateral Cowboy will hack its way into your heart later this year.
Source: Eurogamer
Published: Feb 7, 2013 08:20 am