PAX: Portal Co-Creator Presents a Quantum Conundrum

Of the many cool games being shown at PAX this year, Quantum Conundrum is my favorite. It's a first-person puzzle game from Kim Swift, the co-creator of Portal. I was instantly reminded of Portal when she showed it to me, but instead of creating holes in the wall you are shifting the world around you into new dimensions.



You play as a young boy dropped on the doorstep of his eccentric scientist uncle. The uncle has been working on an invention called the Inter-Dimensional Shift Device that works like a remote control for changing the channels of existence. When your uncle goes missing you must pick up the device and use it to navigate a labyrinthine mansion and bring him home safely.

Quantum Conundrum shuffles you from room to room presenting puzzles, just as Portal does. For example, maybe a ledge is too high to reach. You could use a chair as a stepladder, but the chair is too heavy for a young boy to lift. No problem: just switch to the fluffy dimension where everything is light as a feather and you can move the chair wherever you like.

If your goal is too high to even use a stepladder, just switch to the anti-gravity dimension and you can ride a floating object up to the destination.

There will be five dimensions in all that you must use to maneuver through your uncle's mansion, each with its own distinct look. So far we've seen the fluffy, anti-gravity, and slow motion dimensions. One example of a way to use slow-motion is to slow down a falling box so that it blocks a light beam, which deactivates a laser defense system in another room and gives you a short window to scurry through. Or, you could halt a toppling tower of boxes so that they can be used as a falling bridge to hard-to-reach areas.

With its cartoon presentation, at first I thought Quantum Conundrum might be Portal for kids. But it looks like the puzzles will actually be quite complicated. In order to cross a large chasm, you first switch to the fluffy dimension in order to pick up a heavy safe and throw it over the void. Then, by carefully alternating between the normal and anti-gravity zones, the safe will keep its momentum as it floats up and down in a wave. If you're quick enough, you can ride the wave safely to the other side.

Quantum Conundrum will be released early next year on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Steam. After my time with it today, it shot right to the top of my most anticipated games list. Definitely keep it on your radar.

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