Quantum Conundrum is a game where nobody dies and the only thing that gets hurt is your brain.
The simplest way to describe Quantum Conundrum is that it is Portal with a softer edge. Quantum Conundrum is a first-person puzzle game set in a pastel, cartoon-like environment with a light-hearted approach and a funny low-key voice-over. The main character is a ten-year-old child and the game reflects that. That's not to say that the game is childish though.
The basic idea is that you have a glove that can manipulate dimensions and so change the way things act. The first dimension you discover is called 'fluffy' and allows you to make things light. The fact the game uses 'fluffy' instead of light is pretty much an indicator of the friendly, non-technical approach - there's no attempt in this game to give the sense you are in the real world. However, after a little while playing, the world you are in becomes very believable.
With your glove on your hand you solve a series of puzzles by manipulating the world around you. For example, you might switch to the fluffy dimension to pick up a safe and move it across the room so you can stand on it. Or you might have to move the safe in the fluffy dimension and then switch it to the heavy dimension so it moves a lever. The game designers have taken full advantage of the possibilities to come up with a really entertaining series of puzzles.
Some of the puzzles are simple, some are fiendishly tricky. Several hours into the game there are a few that involve some seriously dexterous finger-work and excellent timing - very much like a platformer game. I have to admit it got to the point that I was forced to call in my ten-year-old for assistance after getting way too frustrated with my inability to make one fiddly jump. Most of the puzzles, though, involve more brain-work than speed or timing. That's a good thing because the puzzles are well-thought through and fun; they are always solvable and adhere to the game's internal logic.
Probably the only thing about the game which we have found mildly annoying is the use of set save points. That means when the family is a called away for the intrusion of the real world we sometimes lose some progress. And if that progress was hard-won it leads to some frustration.
Overall Quantum Conundrum is a wonderful game and highly recommended. The lack of violence, or even pain, and the puzzle-solving central theme should mean that it will appeal to even the most careful families. The clever puzzles will make older players, if they give it a chance, overcome any concern that it looks too childish. It really is a game that can work for all ages. If only there was a multiplayer version it would be perfect.
Quantum Conundrum on PC is available through Steam for $14.99 which is good value in any dimension. PlayStation and Xbox versions will released in July.
