Games from Nothing: Black & White Exercise #1 — Symmetry

sketch1

Symmetry is a grayscale game that incorporates four circles. Using sinusoidal movement they gradually move up and down the screen. As they move, the circles strobe, increasing and decreasing their radius. The goal is to tap the screen when the circles are aligned. If the player is quick and accurate then the colors invert. It is a very simple game but does include some elements of skill while providing an interesting visual effect.

sketch
Inverted colors following winstate.
sketch3
Almost symmetrical

Design elements;

When designing the game I looked at playing with inversion and then with this idea in mind added a game to that singular mechanic. The strobe effect is not solely for visual effect. It obfuscates the actual position of the circles and creates greater difficulty for the player. Initially the strobe effect was too fast and I was forced to decrease the framerate to only 30 fps.

In future the game could include diagonal alignment so as to increase player choice.

Author: Silas Osborne