And Yet It Moves

Most people will take one look at And Yet It Moves and immediately be confused by its unique graphical style. No doubt some will love the blend of bright colours, unusual patterns and somewhat eclectic design, whilst others will initially be wary of something so radically different from the norm. However, the papier-mâché styled world and paper cut-out main character definitely complement the distinctive atmosphere that exudes from And Yet It Moves' every pore, with its twisting and turning worlds, as well as its kooky soundtrack that undulates delightfully in the background, being stripped to bare bone beats in places, then adding more instruments and rhythm until extremely intricate melodies become the order of the day.

Whilst initially looking like a standard platform romp, there is actually no barrage of enemies and a major (literal) twist included; one where the world must be rotated in order to progress. In the PC original this was done in 90º increments, but thanks to the precision of the Wii Remote, simply pointing at the screen, holding down 'A' and using a rotating motion with your hand, your surroundings can be accurately positioned to whatever angle is required at that particular time. For those struggling with the motion/pointer technique for rotation, though, the D-pad of the Wii Remote can be used instead, or even the Classic Controller.

 

Broken Rules has tried to make their game as easy as possible for anyone to play. This accessibility stretches to navigation around the levels as well. Silhouetted clones of the main character act as check-points, giving the player a hint to the direction of progression, to prevent the rotated world causing too much confusion (this comes in particularly handy when having to navigate through a continuously spinning world!).

The very first stage is extremely simplistic in order to help players acclimatise to this wonderfully unique experience, with only some minor twisting and turning required until the main character is successfully navigated the end of level goal. However, matters quickly take a 'turn' for the complicated. For example, upon reaching the final goal in the next level on offer in the preview build, rather than being able to walk through the door and complete the stage, your character is split into two, with the shadow version moving in the opposite direction to your general movements. The aim is to then guide both carefully around a pre-set maze to each reach their respective exits to clear the stage.

 

The beauty of And Yet It Moves is how it never ceases to amaze you. Just when it looks like the well of ideas may have run dry, Broken Rules proves the player wrong by throwing in something innovative, memorable, and downright challenging. What do you do when facing a gorilla perched on something, merrily flinging stones at your character, considering you have no fire power and there appears to be no path past it? After dodging several falling rocks for most of a stage, how do you then get through the cobweb blocking access to the stage's goal? Why is a crazed hamster with horns chasing and trying to ram into you, and does it serve some greater purpose for progression? The game is full of treats and keeps on giving the player new experiences at every turn.

You also do not have to merely choose to work through stage-by-stage, since there are a few other tweaks included to appeal to the more hardcore crowd. For instance, you can apply a rotation limit to each stage, a time trial approach can be taken to attempt to get through stages as quickly as possible, and a wealth of special achievements are included so completists out there can work towards pulling off all sorts of crazy stunts, and trying to obtain the full range of awards. In the current build, there is even the chance to play at various speeds, slowing the action down to 70% of its normal speed to make movements/rotations a little easier to carry out, or speeding it up to 150% for those veterans that feel they can rush through with nary a care in the world. Topping off the customisation options, Broken Rules has gone as far as including the chance to play through And Yet It Moves in 'retro' mode, moving the world in 90º increments only, as in the PC original, or have the world stay still and have your character rotate instead.

 

To conclude, here is an example of And Yet It Moves' brilliance. The last level playable in the preview build is an absolute killer called Elevator, where all the colourful background settings are removed, leaving just a black and white shell of a level. Your character steps into a box that constantly moves along at a slow pace, its direction altering dependent on how you tilt the world. Your character is not protected from anything whilst in this 'elevator,' meaning that any floating black holes, or obstacles encountered are still as lethal as ever. This time, though, escape is much more difficult due to the limited space in your current confined 'cage' and, combined with the fact that twisting the world in one direction will result in the lift going the opposite way, leads to great frustration at times (though it is definitely intended, in order to up the ante!). With such variety throughout, heaps of challenge and surprises across the board, the final version of And Yet It Moves cannot arrive soon enough.