Islands: Non-Places | |
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Developer(s) | Carl Burton |
Platform(s) | |
Release | November 17, 2016 |
Genre(s) | Art game |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Islands: Non-Places is an abstract art game developed and published independently by artist and animator Carl Burton, best known for the animated GIF illustrations he created for season two of the Serial podcast. The game was released on November 17, 2016, on iOS, PC, Mac, and Linux. The short game consists of a series of anonymous, liminal environments which appear mundane at first, but become increasingly surreal as the player interacts with the scenery. Each scene is rendered in the stylized manner that characterizes Burton's work, with solid monotone colors, dark shadows, and foggy backgrounds. The gameplay is extremely minimal and consists mainly of clicking on the environment and observing what unfolds.
In developing Islands, Burton drew inspiration from the work of anthropologist Marc Augé and the installation art of James Turrell. Critical response was generally positive, with much of the reception focused on the abstract visuals and sound design, although some critics were disappointed with the limited gameplay. Although divided on the precise message of the game, many critics described the game leaving them with a feeling of wonder at the mundane.
Gameplay
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f5/Islands_Non_Places_palm_tree_escalator.gif/220px-Islands_Non_Places_palm_tree_escalator.gif)
Islands: Non-Places consists of a series of anonymous, abstract dioramas which appear mundane at first.[1][2] Although each space clearly represents a constructed rather than natural environment, the scenes are devoid of any human presence.[3][4] Each vignette takes place in a liminal space such as a parking lot, hotel lobby, or airport.[a][4][7] These game's environments become increasingly surreal as the player interacts with the scenery.[1][2] In one scene, an empty bus stop becomes an incubator for eggs; in another, a malfunctioning fountain opens up to reveal a vast underground space beneath it.[3][8][9] Each scene is rendered in the stylized manner that characterizes Burton's work, with solid monotone colors, dark shadows, and foggy backgrounds.[1][3][8] The soundtrack mainly consists of ambient sounds such as distant cars or birdsong, which are not always obviously connected with the visuals of a scene, as well as assorted sound effects.[10][11][12] All of the sounds in the game are pre-existing, freely-licensed recordings which Burton found on the internet.[8]
The gameplay is extremely minimalist: the camera can be rotated around the scene in a fixed circle, but the player cannot move within it. The only means of interaction is clicking on the environment to prompt the next step of the scene to unfold.[3][10] Interactive areas are usually, but not always, noticeably lit up.[11][13] There are no puzzles to be solved, and no overarching narrative or goal aside from interacting with the current scene.[10][14] The game is short, and can be completed in approximately an hour.[1][3] Because of its minimal interactivity and heavy emphasis on visuals, it is usually described as an art game.[2][14]
Development
Islands was developed and published independently by artist and animator Carl Burton, best known for the animated GIF illustrations he created for season two of the Serial podcast.[1][15] The game was released on November 17, 2016, on iOS, PC, Mac, and Linux.[1][2]
In creating the game, Burton was inspired in part by Marc Augé's book Non-Places: An Introduction to Supermodernity (1995), in which Augé coined the term "non-place" to refer to places such as hotel rooms, parking lots, and airports, which are ubiquitous in the modern urban landscape, but feel anonymous and interchangeable.[3][9] With Islands, Burton sought to explore the strangeness of these mundane environments in a way that was accessible to anyone, so he built the game without challenging game mechanics.[1][8] Speaking to Fast Company, he stated, "I'm not really interested in puzzles as difficult obstacles. I wanted a more light and realistic sense of momentary confusion, like when you're staying at a friend's house and have to figure out how their shower works."[14]
The installation art of James Turrell, who works with color and light in large built spaces, was an inspiration for the neon palette and haziness of Islands.[9]
Critical reception
Critical reception for Islands was generally positive, with particular attention given to the uncanny, dreamlike atmosphere created by the abstract visuals and ambient soundtrack.[2][9][7] The visuals were similar to his previous animated work, with Rob Funnell at TouchArcade noting that the game felt like "a relatively logical step" for Burton to take.[8][16] Some found the game mesmerizing or hypnotic, while others found it eerie.[3][2][9] In his review for The Verge, Andrew Webster wrote that the colorful yet shadowy visuals "create a haunting feeling".[1] Andy Kelly of PC Gamer described Islands as reminiscent of the "nonsensical micro-dreams you have when you’re trying to stay awake while jet-lagged."[2] Similarly, Philippa Warr of Rock Paper Shotgun described the game's transformations as "more of a gentle dreamtime absurdity."[4] An anonymous reviewer at The Massage found that playing the game felt like being "lost in a movie scene," and noted a similarity to the work of American director David Lynch.[17]
Some individual scenes stood out as particularly memorable to reviewers. Warr described a scene which features a series of potted plants on an escalator, and wrote that seeing "a palm tree masquerading as a serious shopper" made her smile.[4] For Simon Parkin at Eurogamer, the most notable was a vignette that depicts the nighttime routine of an unseen person in a home. He felt the scene had a sense of loneliness and menace, which reminded him of "the jarring asynchronicity of modern life; the cloistered way in which we live in cities, so close, so apart."[7]
Islands drew comparisons to other minimalist art games, such as Flower (2009) by Thatgamecompany, Monument Valley (2014) by Ustwo, and Mountain (2014) by artist David OReilly.[4][14][17] Jesse Singal at The Boston Globe compared it favorably to the classic adventure game Myst (1993), finding it less frustrating.[10] Many reviewers felt the minimal gameplay made the game feel less like a traditional video game and more like a piece of interactive art, although none were entirely certain of Burton's intended meaning, or even if there was one.[2][12][14] Warr speculated that the game represented "what the objects themselves might be dreaming."[4] Several critics felt that the game left them thinking about the hidden beauty or wonder within mundane things, both within the game and in the real world after playing.[7][9][10][11] Christ Priestman at Kill Screen wrote "the game lures you into seeing these pedestrian spaces as a kind of secret machine...like a car made for James Bond that has taillights that flip to reveal missile launchers."[8]
Both Joshua Wise of Twinfinite and Rob Rich of Gamezebo expressed some frustration with the interaction mechanics, which they noted did not always clearly indicate where to click next.[11][13] Rich's review was critical of the game as a whole, finding that the environmental fog detracted from the intriguing visuals, and the gameplay "boils down to just spinning the camera around and tapping on everything" in an unsatisfying way.[13] Allison Meier of Hyperallergic found that the limited gameplay eventually became repetitive, but was overall impressed by the way each scene unfolded in an unexpected way.[3] Parkin's review dismissed those criticisms as "obvious [and] uninteresting," and argued that the lack of traditional gameplay in Islands "adds to its transgressive appeal."[7]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Webster, Andrew (November 17, 2016). "This surreal game makes mundane places magical". The Verge. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h Kelly, Andy (January 10, 2017). "The dreamy interactive art of Islands: Non-Places". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h Meier, Allison (November 25, 2016). "Urban Sprawl and Its Perfect Palm Trees Haunt This Eerie Game". Hyperallergic. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f Warr, Philippa (November 18, 2020). "Magical spatial daydreams in ISLANDS: Non-Places". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Asuncion, Isabel Berenguer (June 13, 2020). "Living through liminal spaces". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Huang, Wei-Jue; Xiao, Honggen; Wang, Sha (May 1, 2018). "Airports as liminal space". Annals of Tourism Research. 70: 1–13. doi:10.1016/j.annals.2018.02.003. ISSN 0160-7383.
- ^ a b c d e Parkin, Simon (November 28, 2016). "Islands: Non-Places review". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f Priestman, Chris (November 17, 2016). "Carl Burton's first videogame reveals the surreal secrets of the city". Kill Screen. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f Holmes, Kevin (November 28, 2016). "Corporate Spaces Become Mysterious Video Game Places in 'Islands'". Vice. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e Singal, Jesse (November 23, 2016). "In 'Islands,' a parking lot isn't just a parking lot". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d Wise, Joshua (December 5, 2016). "Islands: Non-Places is Thought-Provoking Art that Won't Be For Everyone". Twinfinite. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Bird, Campbell (November 17, 2016). "ISLANDS: Non-Places review | 148Apps". 148 Apps. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Rich, Rob (November 23, 2016). "ISLANDS: Non-Places Review – Non-Puzzles". Gamezebo. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e Wilson, Mark (December 20, 2016). "This Beautiful iOS Game Is Tappable Art". Fast Company. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Boyer, Brandon (December 30, 2016). "The 20 games you shouldn't miss in 2016". Boing Boing. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Funnell, Rob (November 17, 2016). "Explore Atmopsheric Environments in Carl Burton's 'Islands: Non-Places', Out Now on the App Store". TouchArcade. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Carl Burtonによる初のゲーム作品「ISLANDS: Non-Places」。輪郭を失った世界で浮かび上がる無意識のザワつき" [Carl Burton's first game "ISLANDS: Non-Places". Unconscious rustling that emerges in a world that has lost its contours]. The Massage. November 18, 2016. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2021.