The latest webgame-turned-commercial puzzle game Clover's Quadrants has a new demo on Steam — a clever beast that lets you alter what happens when you move in each direction. This one's also notable for the very striking painted art style that makes every level feel unique.
Orientation is the name of the game here. "YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT" proclaims the game's Steam page, referring to the inventory slots that will fill up with items that you "swallow" to replace one of your default cardinal movement directions. The most basic example is a Jump item that will take you two spaces every time you move that way, changing how you navigate levels and allowing you to skip across gaps.
If you imagine these movement-altering pickups getting more complex (one that "pulls" other items towards you when you move, for example) and consider that actually picking up the items you want depends on maneuvering yourself to hit them from the desired direction... you can picture the complexities that are sure to arise down the road.
Clover came out of a webgame prototype version called UDLR_Modify (Up, Down, Left, Right) which we previously featured in our newsletter games club. One of the immediately noticeable differences is how much work has gone into a new and unique aesthetic with this commercial version: every stage is decorated with colors and line patterns with brush-stroke textures, giving them each a distinct look.
You can play the new demo or wishlist Clover's Quadrants on Steam, or try out the old free webgame version on itch.io. (If you're interested in trying out another game that makes use of "picking up items that change how your different directions function" I'd recommend the very clever little broughlike Magpie.)
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