Capsule Review: Antichamber
A first-person puzzle exploration game with a stark aesthetic. In this sort of plot-light puzzle game, the motivation to keep playing comes from a desire to see what interesting new mechanics and surprises will come next. Most of Antichamber’s surprises come from subverting expectations about the nature of space and reality, such as by having hallways rearrange themselves when you aren’t looking. To me, the results are largely tedious - it’s not about being clever to solve problems that follow consistent rules, it’s about the game designer feeling clever by deceiving you and often wasting your time.
I Stopped Playing When: I’d played for half an hour and not enjoyed any of it. Solving puzzles left me not with a satisfying feeling that I had figured out rules or mastered mechanics, but an aggravated one that I’d finally found the invisible hoop the developer wanted me to jump through.
One Star: Not for me. While there might be someone out there who'd enjoy this game, I was actively repulsed by it or just found nothing to latch on to.