[This is a guest review by tim_the_tam. If you’re interested in writing an article for TIGSource, please go here.]
What is a game? Does it have to be something fun to play? Do you need to be able to win or lose? Does it need a clear objective? Is it a series of choices? Kometen is a “game” that will mess with some people’s ideals of what a game is, which is no surprise coming from the guy who made Blueberry Garden. It’s because Kometen is not a “traditional” game as you can’t win or lose – there is no conflict, no official goals, and no way to die. Personally, I consider Kometen a game but I can also see an argument for it to be an interactive screensaver. But let’s not get too bogged down with the definition and for the sake of this article, Kometen is a game.
Kometen is a two-dimensional exploration game that has you playing as a space comet discovering the major planets in the universe. You can find these planets on your own or with the assistance of the guidance/GPS system, which you set to a planet you want to go to. However, like I said before, there is no risk or reward, and no goals apart from being able to see the planet visually. There are also constantly-moving sub planets scattered around the universe. These are sun-like objects which you can use to move around by orbiting their gravitational fields. To do so, you simply tap on the planet you want to move to and physics will do the rest. There are also colorful pieces of space debris orbiting in rings around certain planets. You can eat these by floating over them and by doing so you fill up your boost meter, gaining the ability to speed boost off an orbiting planet to a fixed direction by swiping the screen. Filling the meter up to the maximum gives you a major speed boost which sends you flying at light-year speeds.
These are very simple mechanics with a unique movement scheme that does take some skill to master. The design choice of removing any pressure factors gives this game a very relaxing and ambient feel. If you exit the game, when you return it will be back exactly where you left off making it extremely accessible. If I have any complaints about the gameplay mechanics it’s that I would have liked a way to not use your super speed boost when you meter is full. Also, the game does get very repetitive. Not because all you do is discover planets but because every planet has the same orbiting speed. It would have made it more interesting to explore if the orbiting speeds of planets were slightly varied.
As you can see from the screenshots, the art is wonderful. It has a very pretty water-colored look going on that’s bright, colorful, and soothing to the eye. Each major planet has its own unique artwork drawn on it and you can consider it to be the reward for finding the planet. However, while it’s got a great art style it feels viscerally lacking. The background of a nebula galaxy (or whatever it’s called) is static throughout the game. Also, the sub planets are all graphically identical orange sun like objects – I would have like to see more variety. These two factors inhibit the feel of exploring as it feels like you’re not making any progress. Also, a small complaint that didn’t really effect the game but is worth mentioning: the space debris being shapes and sushi felt like an awkward juxtaposition of the motifs of space and food and the cel-shaded look of them goes against the water-colored art style.
Sound-wise, it has some nice sound effects and are used well in the game. But the main looping sound track feels like a wrong choice of music. It’s a happy up-tempo track, but I think it would have been better if the game had an ambient music score as it would work better with the relaxed nature of the game.
Kometen is a nice game to play and chill to. It’s a great example of an exploration game that you explore for exploration’s sake, something that is rarely done well in this medium. It has a pick-up-and-play nature that’s also great to just sit around for an hour and be hypnotized with. I’d like to say it’s for everyone but I know some people are going to get turned off as it’s not a game in a traditional sense. But if you can look past the repetitiveness of the in-game universe it’s worth a purchase.
However, I do recommend waiting for an update that makes the universe more varied and interesting to explore… which looks to be the case, according to Erik’s blog.