One of the best parts about the Game Developers Conference is seeing prototype games that break the gaming paradigms that we’re used to. I already wrote about Framed, a touch-based comic book puzzle game, which was one of the most innovative games I saw at the conference. Muse falls under this category as well since it combines a thumping electronic soundtrack to an exploration driven game.
Muse is a very different type of game that doesn’t have a clear objective for the player. Hell, there’s not even a heads up display (HUD) to track points or your position on a map. All of this leads to a minimalist experience and that’s exactly what Muse’s creator, Yossi Landesrocha, wants. Instead of taking players through a scripted journey, Muse rewards exploration with an ever growing, layered soundtrack. Players control a glowing orb on the screen. Running into different shapes will generate different tones so you can create your own unique, layered soundtrack.
Collaboration will play a big part in Muse, allowing players to work on a soundtrack together. Finished soundtracks can then be exported on social media or within the Muse community itself. We didn’t get a chance to try the game with multiple players so this functionality remains to be seen. However, we did get a chance to play a very early build of Muse, which turned out to be a very buggy experience. The game uses Intel applications on Android and iOS which will turn your phone into a controller. The accelerometer controls are a great idea but there was a ton of latency from what we saw at GDC which could be attributed to the massive amount of people using different wireless networks in the Moscone Center.
Still, Muse is an interesting game that has a lot of good ideas. Developer, Current Circus, hopes to have the game out by mid-2013, which doesn’t leave the team much time to polish the experience. The game is only planned for a PC release at the moment.
