The Gaming Grid

If you can’t see it, does it exist?

Does willful ignorance allow you to overcome otherwise insurmountable challenges?

Why is total darkness so terrifying?

When will gaming grow out of this emo phase and get a haircut?

Closure is another artsy puzzle platformer in the vein of Braid or Portal. In the interests of evangelizing this little indie title I’m tempted to gush at length about the startlingly cool game mechanic, but spoiling the experience of discovering it for yourself would just ruin the fun. What I can say is that if you enjoyed the new directions Portal explored in terms of first-person jumping puzzles, you’re likely to be pleasantly surprised by what Closure does with traditional key-hunting platformer motifs.

Unfortunately Closure isn’t nearly as polished as either Portal or Braid (you get what you pay for) so unless you really fall in love with the art style or game mechanics it’s probably not a Flash game worth finishing. There is a story (though it’s so subtle as to be almost unrecognizable) that slowly unfolds as you traverse from one map to the next, and you can expect to perish at least once figuring out every new puzzle. Death is cheap in the minimalist world of Closure, so don’t fret or play any longer than necessary trying to hold out for some big narrative payoff; the game does one thing (innovative puzzle-platforming gameplay) and does it well. Check it out.