Deranged Puzzle! The NES game we all remember- because it burned us so viciously. Upon starting the game, one would be faced with a selection of interlocking spacial puzzles. Unfortunately, the pieces themselves were randomly generated shapes. Billed falsely as a Tetris clone, it quickly became apparent that none of the puzzles are capable of being solved or completed. No timer. No points. No objective way to measure success or failure. Occasionally, there wasn't even a cart in the box.
As one of one in the Contemplation Series of early Nintendo games, Deranged Puzzle was seen as a "teaching moment" by its designer (who went into hiding shortly after the game's release).
For whatever reason, I had been hankering to do an early Nintendo-produced NES game. Those were the best. The formulaic but bizarre design is really the go-to for that retro look. I mean, we've got this overwhelming negative space, strange diagonals, staccato titles, and spartan pixel art. Oh, what the hell? Let's put in all in deep space. A decision-making process that still reminds us of being young and stupid. It's charmingly broken. Like the Mega Man box from the same era, it reminds us that we enjoy charmingly broken.
Would I play this? I'm not even sure the interaction one has with the game is called "playing".
1 comment:
Rumor has it this was a Gunpei Yokoi game produced under a pseudonym!
Post a Comment