Prism (video game)

Prism is a 2016 puzzle game developed and published by Clint Siu. Gameplay involves the player moving lines on a shape's surface to unlock its core. Developed during Stugan, a two-month games accelerator program, it was released for iOS in February 2016 and Android in June 2016 and was met with praise for its simple gameplay and graphics.

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Gameplay

In each of the game's thirteen levels, the player explores a microcosmic galaxy and must solve puzzles on a shape to reveal its core, doing so by tapping, sliding, and spinning the lines on a shape's surface into designated markings. Later levels task the player to change the shape's form.

Development and release

Prism was developed by Clint Siu during the first Stugan, a games accelerator program in 2015 where participants spent two months in a Swedish isolated cabin developing a game. Siu had previously produced a game in college named Squirrel Squabble in collaboration with two programmers; at the Independent Games Festival, the game won the Student Showcase award. The graphics were inspired by unfolding origami and were made realistic to portray looking through a microscope. Prism was released for iOS on February 11, 2016, and subsequently for Android on June 16, 2016.

Reception

On Metacritic, Prism received a "generally favorable" score of 84 based on six critics.
Reviewers positively received Prism's gameplay. While some critics compared the game to The Room, others found it similar to The Witness. Most reviewers appreciated the game's lack of a tutorial that allowed the player to learn by themselves, with Pocket Gamer Harry Slater stating that the game's puzzles have straightforward solutions. 148Apps's Jennifer Allen found Prism relaxing and slow-paced, commenting that it would be fit for playing after work. However, Slater criticized how the game forced the player to solve a specific solution. Critics praised the game's graphics and soundtrack.