We know this because we see her thoughts alongside her actions. And the protagonist is aware of the absurdity of her situation. While Year Walk had a few scares and not much humor, Device 6 is loaded with dark humor and absurdity. There’s even a hatter who acts quite mad.
The story reads a lot like a modern version of Alice in Wonderland, what with the woman waking up in a strange place with no idea where she is or how she got there. I often felt that the game was mocking me and my inferior intelligence. Even though it seems something sinister is lurking in the shadows, it’s still very light-hearted. But I always had that “d’oh!” moment when I finally figured it out. If it took me a particularly long time to solve, it was simply because I was overthinking it or not thinking about it in the right way. But with Device 6, everything is logical. While I really liked Simogo’s earlier game, Year Walk, I found some of the puzzles unintuitive, requiring more guesswork and simply playing around with things to see what happens. Like many of the best puzzles out there, I was often stumped, but felt silly once I figured out the answer. Some of the clues and puzzle answers are more obvious than others, but everything is logical. It’s a smart game that doesn’t talk down to the player. You don’t need to worry about something that doesn’t make sense until it comes time to make sense of it. You can read through the story normally, knowing that when it comes time to solve a puzzle, you can go back and find the clues. It’s a formula, sure, but it’s a formula that works.
Much of the game has you seeing or hearing things that don’t make any sense until later. This is because many clues are given through audio clips. While technically the game will run on mute, you won’t be able to progress without the sound on. It seems at first like this might just be a coy way for the developers to tell you that you’d be missing out if you play on mute, but it’s not. The game tells you at the very beginning that it won’t work without sound. It’s something that demands your attention while distracting you at the same time. I think that’s also part of the reason it took me so long to finally play it, even though I installed it and deleted it from my devices several times in the last year. Perhaps games like Device 6 are the future of novels? Something that can both distract and hold a reader’s attention more than simple words on a page? With Device 6, the distractions came from within the content, instead of outside of it. Every time I start one, my iPhone beckons to me with its infinite possibilities. Now it’s been months since I last sat through a book. I used to carry a novel around with me everywhere - until I got my iPhone. Intentional or not, I found this to be a bit of an allegory for how today’s technology affects us. But that usually just meant clearing my head and focusing on the words, despite all the distractions. Occasionally, I had to re-read paragraphs because I got distracted by the layout. They form a ladder or a bridge, even a staircase. And there’s this wonderful parallax effect that breathes life into the photos. Besides text, there are photos, music, sound effects, spoken word audio. The game features all sorts of mixed media to keep it interesting. Also, playing on my iPhone meant I could take it with me, of course. The iPad offers a larger screen for easier reading, but I found it a little clumsy for all the rotating.
For this reason, I preferred playing on my iPhone, even though I started on my iPad first. Throughout the game, you’ll find yourself turning your device over and over to follow along. Words bend and twist and form shapes to aid in the storytelling. Visually, the game is stylish and modern, very minimalistic.
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