It's rather embarrassing to say, because its creator obviously put a lot of heart and effort into it, but Fugue in Void too often feels like a rehash of NaissanceE.
Admittedly a strong source of inspiration to Moshe Linke, both games offer atmospheric experiences inside neo-brutalist environments. Obviously, these architectural tendencies are not bound by any copyright, but Fugue in Void has pretty much the same cathedral-like rooms as NaissanceE, and it presents similar repeating patterns of pillars or stairs, even though there's much more variety to be found from actual brutalist buildings.
After a first few introductory animations, the game goes from one experimental sequence to the next, much like the way NaissanceE loosely assembled its chapters near the end. On several places, the neons and high-contrast lighting bare striking resemblances to certain scenes from the 2014 game. Moreover, I was also reminded of it in details such as the cube-aggregate blobs, or the desert sequence and its sky structures. I can't tell whether it's deliberate homage or not, but it feels like a lot.
Faced with such similarities, it comes as a disappointment that Fugue in Void should inconsistently strip the interactivity from the player. From the confusing initial sequences, to some later artworks making time-constrained apparitions, the game left me with some frustration out of not being able to appreciate it the way I wanted to. Sure enough, I was told from the beginning that it would reflect the mind of its creator, but I'd hoped he'd made a bit more room for me.
At the same time, experiments with color were generally enticing, and some segments were no less than awe-inspiring. Also, the sound design often reached commanding highs. It's a shame Moshe Linke didn't put more emphasis on the scenes which felt truly unseen, because his creativity evidently goes beyond one bridling influence.
It's rather embarrassing to say, because its creator obviously put a lot of heart and effort into it, but Fugue in Void too often feels like a rehash of NaissanceE.
Admittedly a strong source of inspiration to Moshe Linke, both games offer atmospheric experiences inside neo-brutalist environments. Obviously, these architectural tendencies are not bound by any copyright, but Fugue in Void has pretty much the same cathedral-like rooms as NaissanceE, and it presents similar repeating patterns of pillars or stairs, even though there's much more variety to be found from actual brutalist buildings.
After a first few introductory animations, the game goes from one experimental sequence to the next, much like the way NaissanceE loosely assembled its chapters near the end. On several places, the neons and high-contrast lighting bare striking resemblances to certain scenes from the 2014 game. Moreover, I was also reminded of it in details such as the cube-aggregate blobs, or the desert sequence and its sky structures. I can't tell whether it's deliberate homage or not, but it feels like a lot.
Faced with such similarities, it comes as a disappointment that Fugue in Void should inconsistently strip the interactivity from the player. From the confusing initial sequences, to some later artworks making time-constrained apparitions, the game left me with some frustration out of not being able to appreciate it the way I wanted to. Sure enough, I was told from the beginning that it would reflect the mind of its creator, but I'd hoped he'd made a bit more room for me.
At the same time, experiments with color were generally enticing, and some segments were no less than awe-inspiring. Also, the sound design often reached commanding highs. It's a shame Moshe Linke didn't put more emphasis on the scenes which felt truly unseen, because his creativity evidently goes beyond one bridling influence.