A cross country road trip turns into a multi-dimensional walkabout after a quick stop in a mysterious town. A first person surreal adventure of visual auditory stimuli set in a fantastical world.
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It had some weird controls on the steam deck, but it was completely functional.
I like abstract games, but I do usually like there to be a bit more in the way of concrete messaging or aesthetic to the experience, as this is largely ""glitch art"" abstract except for some consistent geometry it shows you at times. But I think that it as a self reflective art piece works. You strip away that cohesion and provide the most valuable type of art experience, which is to build the observers' interpretation, even at the cost of delivering any message. May be a bit pretentious, but I think that's a worthy experience. I wondered what it could mean from the creator's perspective, noting the few recurring items, city landscapes, and as i lost anything to grasp to as their voice, i built my own meaning from the experience as I reflected on each environment, and then the game's function as art and it's existence as is.
And it also just works as a passive light experience. Smoke some blunts and zone out in the desolate digital wastes, another valid approach.
I like abstract games, but I do usually like there to be a bit more in the way of concrete messaging or aesthetic to the experience, as this is largely ""glitch art"" abstract except for some consistent geometry it shows you at times. But I think that it as a self reflective art piece works. You strip away that cohesion and provide the most valuable type of art experience, which is to build the observers' interpretation, even at the cost of delivering any message. May be a bit pretentious, but I think that's a worthy experience. I wondered what it could mean from the creator's perspective, noting the few recurring items, city landscapes, and as i lost anything to grasp to as their voice, i built my own meaning from the experience as I reflected on each environment, and then the game's function as art and it's existence as is.
And it also just works as a passive light experience. Smoke some blunts and zone out in the desolate digital wastes, another valid approach.
Coming off of A God Who Lives In Your Head, I was really excited for some more ‘weird art’. This time it came in the form of ZeroNorth ZeroWest, a game released in 2018 that’s heavily inspired by LSD: Dream Emulator.
If you don’t know what LSD is, then let’s start there. The player explores abstract environments, where if you touch any object, it warps you to a completely new world. There are strange events you may encounter strewn throughout. It’s a fascinating concept - even more-so because it was released on the Playstation 2 in 1998. It never got a US release, unfortunately, but it has become a cult classic all over the globe. I would love to play it myself one day.
Over time, I’ve found a few indie games that clearly have LSD’s DNA baked in. You explore abstract worlds endlessly, no way to win or lose. ZeroNorth ZeroWest is one of these games. And while I doubt this is the best form of the mind-bending genre, it’s a decent little project with some cool ideas.
0N0W opens with an interesting live action short from the POV of our protagonist. The nondescript man wakes up, prepares for his day, packs, and gets into his car to go on a long road trip. We pass all sorts of varying landscapes - some which, I swear as a Georgian, look eerily familiar to me - before it rather seamlessly transitions into the actual game. The man pulls into a small town’s gas station and steps out of the car, handing control over to the player.
From here, you’ll briefly visit the game’s only actual location; this town block sitting amidst an otherwise desolate countryside, the only open building being a local theater. Once you enter, you’re teleported into the alternate dimensions that will make up the bulk of your experience.
If you’re lucky, you’ll start your new foray into a world inside of a small living space - one of the only shreds of real humanity present during your exploration. Some persistent themes throughout these houses (or, sometimes, apartments) are a clock and a TV, the latter of which will display trippy static effects if you interact with it. Otherwise, the interior is altered slightly for whatever world you’re currently in. You may not even get the quick comfort of a house, though. Sometimes you’ll just open smack-dab in the middle of a strange forest, or on floating platforms.
You’ll immediately notice that the ‘visual shine’, for lack of a better term, is altered between many worlds - neon, black and white, a cloudy blur. 0N0W is slathered in these loud aesthetics. Meanwhile, the core art style relies on geometric shapes to convey the world around you. They may take the form of a huge, bustling city, with tall skyscrapers and streaks of light in the pits representing never-ending traffic; or you may encounter a barren desert, the horizon dotted with strange monuments to run towards. Everything feels alien yet slightly familiar.
Additionally, there are unique worlds in which you traverse trippy, kaleidoscopic landscapes void of… well, literally anything except for the player. There’s barely even a sense of direction as you wander around without a ground or sky. The game’s usual color palettes can already be hard on the eyes, but these often feel nearly impossible to look at. It’s a really harsh aesthetic. That’s not to mention that these kaleidoscope worlds are paired with even more basic gameplay and player engagement than the regular ones. Still, I enjoyed them for what they were. I particularly liked how, instead of traditional loading screens between maps, you’re flung through the same kind of scenery. You can even look around during!
Many of the worlds are, in fact, copies of each other with a different ‘shine’ and a handful of smaller changes. Their most interesting features are usually the details specific to each individual world - moments of humanity buried beneath. In a city, I came across neon graffiti. There are TVs hidden in some corners, as well as doors that will lead you to your next world. I discovered that the desert maps house a huge building with the roof caved in; my favorite version had tables with chairs, a corner filled with shelves of books, and even a car.
Many strange ‘creatures’ roam around, although they don’t acknowledge the player in any way. Examples of their physical forms include smooth blobs, spiky blobs, or bug-like swarms. These also harbor a sound design bit I really liked; if you approach, a noise - ranging from computer beeps to machine whirring - will emanate from them and gradually become louder.
In fact, the sound design as a whole is probably my favorite part of 0N0W. Serene ambience makes up the ‘soundtrack’; and it’s occasionally intertwined with sound effects such as crickets chirping or radio crackles. Most of these effects are, similarly to the creatures’ noises, directional hearing tied to certain places or things in the environment. You’ll naturally encounter them as you explore, allowing you to have a personal hand in the relaxing soundscape. It’s nothing new or groundbreaking, but it’s very enjoyable.
Contrarily, even though the visuals are quite striking, they still ended up feeling empty after a while. This is largely due to the absence of nearly any direct input from the player; though the audio transforms slightly during the player’s journey through an area, there’s no meaningful way for them to participate in the visual side of things. I genuinely enjoy the hand-made quality each world has in 0N0W... but the game is just tedious to play after 20 minutes, during which nothing new is introduced except some aesthetics. It also doesn’t help that, across my own playthroughs, I kept running into a frustrating issue where I’d loop through the same few worlds over and over again (though the specific worlds would change each time.)
I did eventually realize that there’s a useful menu binded to ‘M’ that makes navigation much easier. It’s really my own fault for not trying the button sooner, since the controls are displayed each time you boot up. Anyways, aside from the expected volume control and main menu return, this has a few other useful options. The most useful of these takes you to the ‘world selection menu’ that’s unlocked after playing for the first time; even though the're all named discreetly using code here, you can at least guarantee you’ll be seeing new things. There’s also one that takes you to a ‘door room’, a black void with a few doors that lead to different places. This adds a bit more of the intended randomness back into the mix.
Having more control over my 0N0W experience like this definitely improved my enjoyment of it! Still, I can’t help but dislike the fact that I had to use a menu to get a good selection of what the game had to offer; I would’ve hoped that it could do that on its own. The original intention was to journey through a random selection of worlds seamlessly, and I felt like my experience was constantly disrupted because I had to use the menu so much.
Either way, there’s unfortunately only so much entertainment to get out of 0N0W. Once you’ve visited all of the worlds - which may take an hour or two, depending on how much time you spend in each - there’s really nothing else to it. I’ve been enjoying booting it up now and then while I write this review, but only ever for a few minutes at a time. I recently discovered that there are a few secret worlds thanks to a guide… but I honestly would’ve preferred for them to be as accessible as the rest, just to round out the content a bit more.
The last thing I want to discuss before wrapping up is the VR version of 0N0W, a free DLC included with the base game. This is definitely the most immersive way to experience the atmosphere. Only five of the maps are available in this mode - most easily accessible through keybindings - but I had fun just roaming around and taking in the sights. The only big issue is that there’s a 50/50 chance your corneas will be assaulted with nauseatingly bright visuals.
At the end of the day, 0N0W is more of an interactive art piece than anything - an abstract, inscrutable experience that forces you to draw your own conclusions. I definitely appreciate its style, and I think it has a certain charm; but I’m not sure I’d necessarily recommend the game as a whole (especially at its five dollar price tag.) It can get dull quickly, I suspect especially so for players without the patience or interest required for this type of game.
Visuals: 4/5
Sound: 4.5/5
Gameplay: 1/5
Worldbuilding: 3/5
Replayability: 2.5/5
Overall Game Score: 3/5
If you don’t know what LSD is, then let’s start there. The player explores abstract environments, where if you touch any object, it warps you to a completely new world. There are strange events you may encounter strewn throughout. It’s a fascinating concept - even more-so because it was released on the Playstation 2 in 1998. It never got a US release, unfortunately, but it has become a cult classic all over the globe. I would love to play it myself one day.
Over time, I’ve found a few indie games that clearly have LSD’s DNA baked in. You explore abstract worlds endlessly, no way to win or lose. ZeroNorth ZeroWest is one of these games. And while I doubt this is the best form of the mind-bending genre, it’s a decent little project with some cool ideas.
0N0W opens with an interesting live action short from the POV of our protagonist. The nondescript man wakes up, prepares for his day, packs, and gets into his car to go on a long road trip. We pass all sorts of varying landscapes - some which, I swear as a Georgian, look eerily familiar to me - before it rather seamlessly transitions into the actual game. The man pulls into a small town’s gas station and steps out of the car, handing control over to the player.
From here, you’ll briefly visit the game’s only actual location; this town block sitting amidst an otherwise desolate countryside, the only open building being a local theater. Once you enter, you’re teleported into the alternate dimensions that will make up the bulk of your experience.
If you’re lucky, you’ll start your new foray into a world inside of a small living space - one of the only shreds of real humanity present during your exploration. Some persistent themes throughout these houses (or, sometimes, apartments) are a clock and a TV, the latter of which will display trippy static effects if you interact with it. Otherwise, the interior is altered slightly for whatever world you’re currently in. You may not even get the quick comfort of a house, though. Sometimes you’ll just open smack-dab in the middle of a strange forest, or on floating platforms.
You’ll immediately notice that the ‘visual shine’, for lack of a better term, is altered between many worlds - neon, black and white, a cloudy blur. 0N0W is slathered in these loud aesthetics. Meanwhile, the core art style relies on geometric shapes to convey the world around you. They may take the form of a huge, bustling city, with tall skyscrapers and streaks of light in the pits representing never-ending traffic; or you may encounter a barren desert, the horizon dotted with strange monuments to run towards. Everything feels alien yet slightly familiar.
Additionally, there are unique worlds in which you traverse trippy, kaleidoscopic landscapes void of… well, literally anything except for the player. There’s barely even a sense of direction as you wander around without a ground or sky. The game’s usual color palettes can already be hard on the eyes, but these often feel nearly impossible to look at. It’s a really harsh aesthetic. That’s not to mention that these kaleidoscope worlds are paired with even more basic gameplay and player engagement than the regular ones. Still, I enjoyed them for what they were. I particularly liked how, instead of traditional loading screens between maps, you’re flung through the same kind of scenery. You can even look around during!
Many of the worlds are, in fact, copies of each other with a different ‘shine’ and a handful of smaller changes. Their most interesting features are usually the details specific to each individual world - moments of humanity buried beneath. In a city, I came across neon graffiti. There are TVs hidden in some corners, as well as doors that will lead you to your next world. I discovered that the desert maps house a huge building with the roof caved in; my favorite version had tables with chairs, a corner filled with shelves of books, and even a car.
Many strange ‘creatures’ roam around, although they don’t acknowledge the player in any way. Examples of their physical forms include smooth blobs, spiky blobs, or bug-like swarms. These also harbor a sound design bit I really liked; if you approach, a noise - ranging from computer beeps to machine whirring - will emanate from them and gradually become louder.
In fact, the sound design as a whole is probably my favorite part of 0N0W. Serene ambience makes up the ‘soundtrack’; and it’s occasionally intertwined with sound effects such as crickets chirping or radio crackles. Most of these effects are, similarly to the creatures’ noises, directional hearing tied to certain places or things in the environment. You’ll naturally encounter them as you explore, allowing you to have a personal hand in the relaxing soundscape. It’s nothing new or groundbreaking, but it’s very enjoyable.
Contrarily, even though the visuals are quite striking, they still ended up feeling empty after a while. This is largely due to the absence of nearly any direct input from the player; though the audio transforms slightly during the player’s journey through an area, there’s no meaningful way for them to participate in the visual side of things. I genuinely enjoy the hand-made quality each world has in 0N0W... but the game is just tedious to play after 20 minutes, during which nothing new is introduced except some aesthetics. It also doesn’t help that, across my own playthroughs, I kept running into a frustrating issue where I’d loop through the same few worlds over and over again (though the specific worlds would change each time.)
I did eventually realize that there’s a useful menu binded to ‘M’ that makes navigation much easier. It’s really my own fault for not trying the button sooner, since the controls are displayed each time you boot up. Anyways, aside from the expected volume control and main menu return, this has a few other useful options. The most useful of these takes you to the ‘world selection menu’ that’s unlocked after playing for the first time; even though the're all named discreetly using code here, you can at least guarantee you’ll be seeing new things. There’s also one that takes you to a ‘door room’, a black void with a few doors that lead to different places. This adds a bit more of the intended randomness back into the mix.
Having more control over my 0N0W experience like this definitely improved my enjoyment of it! Still, I can’t help but dislike the fact that I had to use a menu to get a good selection of what the game had to offer; I would’ve hoped that it could do that on its own. The original intention was to journey through a random selection of worlds seamlessly, and I felt like my experience was constantly disrupted because I had to use the menu so much.
Either way, there’s unfortunately only so much entertainment to get out of 0N0W. Once you’ve visited all of the worlds - which may take an hour or two, depending on how much time you spend in each - there’s really nothing else to it. I’ve been enjoying booting it up now and then while I write this review, but only ever for a few minutes at a time. I recently discovered that there are a few secret worlds thanks to a guide… but I honestly would’ve preferred for them to be as accessible as the rest, just to round out the content a bit more.
The last thing I want to discuss before wrapping up is the VR version of 0N0W, a free DLC included with the base game. This is definitely the most immersive way to experience the atmosphere. Only five of the maps are available in this mode - most easily accessible through keybindings - but I had fun just roaming around and taking in the sights. The only big issue is that there’s a 50/50 chance your corneas will be assaulted with nauseatingly bright visuals.
At the end of the day, 0N0W is more of an interactive art piece than anything - an abstract, inscrutable experience that forces you to draw your own conclusions. I definitely appreciate its style, and I think it has a certain charm; but I’m not sure I’d necessarily recommend the game as a whole (especially at its five dollar price tag.) It can get dull quickly, I suspect especially so for players without the patience or interest required for this type of game.
Visuals: 4/5
Sound: 4.5/5
Gameplay: 1/5
Worldbuilding: 3/5
Replayability: 2.5/5
Overall Game Score: 3/5
Not really a game but it is cool to walk around for a session as like a virtual art installation
A classic game that can be accused of pretentiousness, and I don't blame people who might do so. However, I find it to be a good experiment in giving shape to escapism in its representation between the virtual and the alien.
Like more conventional exploration-based games (or walking sims, if you prefer), this one has no inventory and no NPCs to interact with. Furthermore, it doesn't have real objectives that don't self-exhaust in exploration itself. The only thing to do is to progress through a series of enormous rooms that convey a sense of the alien, find a door, and cross it to reach the next room/world. I had the distinct feeling of being on alien worlds inhabited by other forms of life (due to some urban-like scenarios and some audio cues), but it's not important, and the game doesn't aim for interpretative commitment, as these are true dreamlike scenes (a mix of memories or information) to traverse and take refuge from the boredom and noise of everyday life
Like more conventional exploration-based games (or walking sims, if you prefer), this one has no inventory and no NPCs to interact with. Furthermore, it doesn't have real objectives that don't self-exhaust in exploration itself. The only thing to do is to progress through a series of enormous rooms that convey a sense of the alien, find a door, and cross it to reach the next room/world. I had the distinct feeling of being on alien worlds inhabited by other forms of life (due to some urban-like scenarios and some audio cues), but it's not important, and the game doesn't aim for interpretative commitment, as these are true dreamlike scenes (a mix of memories or information) to traverse and take refuge from the boredom and noise of everyday life
Falls very much in the vein of LSD: Dream Emulator where it's less of a game and more interactive art piece. That said, it's a gorgeous game with multitudes of shaders, worlds, and variants that keep it fascinating. Has a very unique vibe.
You basically get to explore cool procedurally generated worlds. There's also a large selection of handcrafted worlds. None of these worlds disappoint.