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What I love about Indie games is that they aren't necessarily looking to achieve the most realistic graphics, nor are they constantly pushing hardware to its limits. Successful indie-developers seem to take existing concepts and do something unique and original with them to make something fun and entertaining.
140 was made by a tiny handful of people and it is a clean and crisp colourful and musical journey of geometry. Your playable characters is a shape. A shape that primarily moves like any other 2D platforming protagonist. You can move left, right and jump. Forget your multi-analogue buttons, clickable sticks and trigger buttons. You just need your direction stick and an action button to control this game. And that's part of what makes it so fun to play!
As with most run-and-jump games, you are faced with challenges designed to frustrate you, and all challenges included in 140 are musical based. The challenges are split into sections, each one with a restore point should you fail, and you will. They normally involve platforms or obstacles that move in time with the music. This both helps with the timing of jumps and dodges, but can also leave you feeling a little disorientated at times. And this, I'm sure, was intentional with brightly coloured backgrounds that also seem to dance with the music, it takes a lot of concentration to remain focused on this adventure.
Your main enemy in the game is white noise. For those that haven't seen an analogue TV before, it's a white and black mix of nothingness as the manifestation of unfocused radio-waves that some say are an echo of the Big Bang. It used to show up on TVs if you hadn't tuned them onto a channel. It pops up replacing platforms, it appears above you, underneath you, and expands to engulf you, and you lose at the slightest touch. You re-spawn seconds later and the last checkpoint you reached, which is normally at the start of the section you're attempting.
Occasionally, the stages will evolve by your collection of an orb, and by walking over the orb's slot on the stage. It expands and changes the colours of the stage, as well as changing some of the elements immediately near you in order to allow you to advance. It's like an in-built loading screen without any delays.
The music of 140 is enjoyable. Short samples that provide the heartbeat of the game, but at a seemingly high quality. I tried this using noise-cancelling headphones so all I could hear was this game and I felt immersed. The music became part of my instinct when timing my actions. Granted, to the casual observer, it would have looked like I was intoxicated as I repeatedly made the same daft mistakes over and over again. But if the music-quality wasn't there, I would have found this game far less enjoyable.
At the end of each stage you face a twist that sees you play a differing style of game. This adds a nice little twist and keeps the gameplay fresh before you move to the next stage and regain the familiarity of the primary mode of play.
What makes this game so enjoyable is it's simplicity. It brings back the frustration-inducing play of 1980s gaming with a crispness and high standard of psychedelic quality whilst maintaining simple controls and sticking to its brief.
However, what 140 doesn't do so well is in its longevity. Three levels (and repeated in a mirror-mode) means that this game can be completed rather quickly. But don't let that put you off. It's a small game and as it is an indie, it is generally low priced. There is no multiplayer mode, no high scores, and no speed-run/time trial to challenge yourself with, so plenty of room for expansion or a sequel, but as it is, it's a simple little game with a decent enough challenge.
140 was made by a tiny handful of people and it is a clean and crisp colourful and musical journey of geometry. Your playable characters is a shape. A shape that primarily moves like any other 2D platforming protagonist. You can move left, right and jump. Forget your multi-analogue buttons, clickable sticks and trigger buttons. You just need your direction stick and an action button to control this game. And that's part of what makes it so fun to play!
As with most run-and-jump games, you are faced with challenges designed to frustrate you, and all challenges included in 140 are musical based. The challenges are split into sections, each one with a restore point should you fail, and you will. They normally involve platforms or obstacles that move in time with the music. This both helps with the timing of jumps and dodges, but can also leave you feeling a little disorientated at times. And this, I'm sure, was intentional with brightly coloured backgrounds that also seem to dance with the music, it takes a lot of concentration to remain focused on this adventure.
Your main enemy in the game is white noise. For those that haven't seen an analogue TV before, it's a white and black mix of nothingness as the manifestation of unfocused radio-waves that some say are an echo of the Big Bang. It used to show up on TVs if you hadn't tuned them onto a channel. It pops up replacing platforms, it appears above you, underneath you, and expands to engulf you, and you lose at the slightest touch. You re-spawn seconds later and the last checkpoint you reached, which is normally at the start of the section you're attempting.
Occasionally, the stages will evolve by your collection of an orb, and by walking over the orb's slot on the stage. It expands and changes the colours of the stage, as well as changing some of the elements immediately near you in order to allow you to advance. It's like an in-built loading screen without any delays.
The music of 140 is enjoyable. Short samples that provide the heartbeat of the game, but at a seemingly high quality. I tried this using noise-cancelling headphones so all I could hear was this game and I felt immersed. The music became part of my instinct when timing my actions. Granted, to the casual observer, it would have looked like I was intoxicated as I repeatedly made the same daft mistakes over and over again. But if the music-quality wasn't there, I would have found this game far less enjoyable.
At the end of each stage you face a twist that sees you play a differing style of game. This adds a nice little twist and keeps the gameplay fresh before you move to the next stage and regain the familiarity of the primary mode of play.
What makes this game so enjoyable is it's simplicity. It brings back the frustration-inducing play of 1980s gaming with a crispness and high standard of psychedelic quality whilst maintaining simple controls and sticking to its brief.
However, what 140 doesn't do so well is in its longevity. Three levels (and repeated in a mirror-mode) means that this game can be completed rather quickly. But don't let that put you off. It's a small game and as it is an indie, it is generally low priced. There is no multiplayer mode, no high scores, and no speed-run/time trial to challenge yourself with, so plenty of room for expansion or a sequel, but as it is, it's a simple little game with a decent enough challenge.
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What I love about Indie games is that they aren't necessarily looking to achieve the most realistic graphics, nor are they constantly pushing hardware to its limits. Successful indie-developers seem to take existing concepts and do something unique and original with them to make something fun and entertaining.
140 was made by a tiny handful of people and it is a clean and crisp colourful and musical journey of geometry. Your playable characters is a shape. A shape that primarily moves like any other 2D platforming protagonist. You can move left, right and jump. Forget your multi-analogue buttons, clickable sticks and trigger buttons. You just need your direction stick and an action button to control this game. And that's part of what makes it so fun to play!
As with most run-and-jump games, you are faced with challenges designed to frustrate you, and all challenges included in 140 are musical based. The challenges are split into sections, each one with a restore point should you fail, and you will. They normally involve platforms or obstacles that move in time with the music. This both helps with the timing of jumps and dodges, but can also leave you feeling a little disorientated at times. And this, I'm sure, was intentional with brightly coloured backgrounds that also seem to dance with the music, it takes a lot of concentration to remain focused on this adventure.
Your main enemy in the game is white noise. For those that haven't seen an analogue TV before, it's a white and black mix of nothingness as the manifestation of unfocused radio-waves that some say are an echo of the Big Bang. It used to show up on TVs if you hadn't tuned them onto a channel. It pops up replacing platforms, it appears above you, underneath you, and expands to engulf you, and you lose at the slightest touch. You re-spawn seconds later and the last checkpoint you reached, which is normally at the start of the section you're attempting.
Occasionally, the stages will evolve by your collection of an orb, and by walking over the orb's slot on the stage. It expands and changes the colours of the stage, as well as changing some of the elements immediately near you in order to allow you to advance. It's like an in-built loading screen without any delays.
The music of 140 is enjoyable. Short samples that provide the heartbeat of the game, but at a seemingly high quality. I tried this using noise-cancelling headphones so all I could hear was this game and I felt immersed. The music became part of my instinct when timing my actions. Granted, to the casual observer, it would have looked like I was intoxicated as I repeatedly made the same daft mistakes over and over again. But if the music-quality wasn't there, I would have found this game far less enjoyable.
At the end of each stage you face a twist that sees you play a differing style of game. This adds a nice little twist and keeps the gameplay fresh before you move to the next stage and regain the familiarity of the primary mode of play.
What makes this game so enjoyable is it's simplicity. It brings back the frustration-inducing play of 1980s gaming with a crispness and high standard of psychedelic quality whilst maintaining simple controls and sticking to its brief.
However, what 140 doesn't do so well is in its longevity. Three levels (and repeated in a mirror-mode) means that this game can be completed rather quickly. But don't let that put you off. It's a small game and as it is an indie, it is generally low priced. There is no multiplayer mode, no high scores, and no speed-run/time trial to challenge yourself with, so plenty of room for expansion or a sequel, but as it is, it's a simple little game with a decent enough challenge.
140 was made by a tiny handful of people and it is a clean and crisp colourful and musical journey of geometry. Your playable characters is a shape. A shape that primarily moves like any other 2D platforming protagonist. You can move left, right and jump. Forget your multi-analogue buttons, clickable sticks and trigger buttons. You just need your direction stick and an action button to control this game. And that's part of what makes it so fun to play!
As with most run-and-jump games, you are faced with challenges designed to frustrate you, and all challenges included in 140 are musical based. The challenges are split into sections, each one with a restore point should you fail, and you will. They normally involve platforms or obstacles that move in time with the music. This both helps with the timing of jumps and dodges, but can also leave you feeling a little disorientated at times. And this, I'm sure, was intentional with brightly coloured backgrounds that also seem to dance with the music, it takes a lot of concentration to remain focused on this adventure.
Your main enemy in the game is white noise. For those that haven't seen an analogue TV before, it's a white and black mix of nothingness as the manifestation of unfocused radio-waves that some say are an echo of the Big Bang. It used to show up on TVs if you hadn't tuned them onto a channel. It pops up replacing platforms, it appears above you, underneath you, and expands to engulf you, and you lose at the slightest touch. You re-spawn seconds later and the last checkpoint you reached, which is normally at the start of the section you're attempting.
Occasionally, the stages will evolve by your collection of an orb, and by walking over the orb's slot on the stage. It expands and changes the colours of the stage, as well as changing some of the elements immediately near you in order to allow you to advance. It's like an in-built loading screen without any delays.
The music of 140 is enjoyable. Short samples that provide the heartbeat of the game, but at a seemingly high quality. I tried this using noise-cancelling headphones so all I could hear was this game and I felt immersed. The music became part of my instinct when timing my actions. Granted, to the casual observer, it would have looked like I was intoxicated as I repeatedly made the same daft mistakes over and over again. But if the music-quality wasn't there, I would have found this game far less enjoyable.
At the end of each stage you face a twist that sees you play a differing style of game. This adds a nice little twist and keeps the gameplay fresh before you move to the next stage and regain the familiarity of the primary mode of play.
What makes this game so enjoyable is it's simplicity. It brings back the frustration-inducing play of 1980s gaming with a crispness and high standard of psychedelic quality whilst maintaining simple controls and sticking to its brief.
However, what 140 doesn't do so well is in its longevity. Three levels (and repeated in a mirror-mode) means that this game can be completed rather quickly. But don't let that put you off. It's a small game and as it is an indie, it is generally low priced. There is no multiplayer mode, no high scores, and no speed-run/time trial to challenge yourself with, so plenty of room for expansion or a sequel, but as it is, it's a simple little game with a decent enough challenge.