Semispheres, for the PS4, is a 2D puzzle game, the brainchild of Radu Muresan, a developer from Vivid Helix.

Like most good puzzle games, it starts with a simple premise. You control two avatars, each existing in separate worlds, one labelled as left the other the right, if you’re thinking that this may be related to the two hemispheres of the brain you would be right. The basic idea is to move your avatar to a safe place. Well that’s not quite true as you have two to control which are controlled by either the left or right side of the gamepad.

As the game progresses the two worlds interact, so you may need to move the left avatar to a portal joining the worlds to distract a sentinel, or set off a ping which attracts the sentinel all to allow the right sided avatar to get to safety. As the game progresses so do your abilities allowing you to teleport between the two sides.

All of this is accompanied with the ambient soundtrack composed by Sid Barnhoorn. As you make your way through the levels the interaction between the two sides becomes vital to a successful outcome and as the puzzles become more fiendishly difficult, often you are presented with sides which look the same but behave very differently.

The worlds are denoted by their differing backgrounds, both muted to add the subtly contemplative feel of the game.

It’s a simple idea well executed and given its low price is well worth picking up for puzzle aficionados.

7

Charles Packer