Figment

Figment for SWITCH, PC and etc. is an action-adventure game created by Bedtime Digital Games. Figment is set in a world, which depicts human subsconsciousness. In this land haunted by different kinds of nightmares, the player takes on the role of a little creature by the name of Dusty. Aided by his friend Rusty, the protagonist tries to chase evil away and bring balance back to the tormented mind. In similarity to the studio's previous game – Back to Bed, Figment offers distinctive, surrealistic visuals.

Plot

Figment is set in a world, which depicts the subconsciousness of a 40-year-old man. Though his mind used to be calm, it has been attacked by nightmares that symbolize everyday frights. Fears of pain, loneliness, disease or death are represented in this peculiar world by grotesque creatures that bring chaos and misery. Two friends stand up to evil and anxiety. Dusty, the protagonist, was once an embodiment of courage – he is equipped with a wooden sword. His friend Rusty bears a resemblance to a bird, and she is a manifestation of optimism. The friends have to chase the nightmares away and bring harmony back to the world of human subconsciousness.

Mechanics

Figment for SWITCH, PC and etc. is an action-adventure game played from an isometric perspective. The experience is based mainly on completing subsequent locations filled with traps and fighting the enemies. Tricky spiders, murderous plants and collapsing environmental objects all pose deadly threats to the lives of the protagonist and his friend, but the game also features bosses. The creators decided to implement interesting mechanics related to combat, as the stronger enemies are not that eager to fight. Instead, they cowardly run from the protagonist and take the fight only when they get backed into a corner. Fighting such foes requires an adequate approach, as well as finding the weak spots and taking advantage of them. Interestingly, the enemies talk to the main characters in verse, as they produce rhymes about such depressing things as sicknesses or rotten teeth.

The game world is filled with sounds and music, which illustrates the player's actions and adjusts its tone to the events happening on the screen. Furthermore, numerous environmental objects resemble music instruments here – for example, a bridge can look like bellows of an accordion. Also, the game's puzzles are based largely on playing with sounds or having to make an adequate use of musical objects of the environment. The puzzles fulfill quite an important role, as apart from fighting and exploring, they constitute one of the main elements the experience was based on.

Technical aspects

Figment for SWITCH, PC and etc. offers colorful, hand-drawn graphics reminiscent of works of such surrealist painters as Salvador Dali. Locations floating in mid-air, a balloon which is actually a flying apple, or a location referring to nightmares and filled with molar teeth – combining such features together resulted in the creation of a unique, unreal atmosphere the game is soaked in, but also made Figment stand out among other action-adventure titles.

Last updated on 03 January 2024