Headspin Storybook
Each new page of Headspin Storybook reveals a tiny, medieval, pop-up scene that doubles as a visual puzzle. The left page of each set mirrors the right, with the exception of a few items flipped on their vertical axes. A horse will graze facing east, for example, instead of west. A castle wall won't quite line up with its counterpart. Or a wishing-well's handle will point the wrong direction. Your job is to click the items on the right to make the scene a perfect mirror image before time runs out.
How quickly can you recognize mirror images? You'll soon find out. As the pages turn, the landscapes get busier. More out-of-sync items appear, and the the charming landscapes begin bustling with distracting crowds. There are only twenty levels to solve, but they demand frantic, meticulous examination toward the end. Refreshing, challenging, and beautifully presented, Headspin Storybook is a perfect little gem of a game.
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That was really well done, and got very tense toward the end there. Nice find!
It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. — Carl Sagan
XBL: LostLobster
PSN: lostlobster
That was different. Loved the art direction.
MilkmanDanimal wrote:
NSMike wrote:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/garion333
Wow, what a find. This is just gorgeous, gorgeous art.
Revel in the sheer improbability that in a universe of such mind-shattering emptiness, you have someone to love...-Coldstream
They stopped being meaningful to me as devices a long time ago, and now they've stopped being meaningful as things-ClockworkHous
The music compliments this piece beautifully.
When people doubt games as art, show them this.
I'll only recognize it as art with this caveat.
Pyroman wrote:
Gravey wrote:
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I did have to replay the final level.
Certis wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:
<+katisu> Q-Stone is an internet genius
Headspin Storybook's artistic elements are definitely eye-catching. But do you really think they're kitschy?
I read Bogost's article a while back. A good read, but I would not equate the bland, sentimental, and tasteless kitsch of Thomas Kinkade's paintings with the elegant charm of Headspin Storybook (or, as Bogost argued, Terry Falim's Orisinal games).
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I could probably talk about the definition of "kitsch" for as long as I could about the definition of "art," though I'd probably get tired of the latter sooner. Short version: I don't think there's any real meaning to the art design of this game. I'd be happy to be shown a different way of seeing it, though.
Pyroman wrote:
Gravey wrote:
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For god's sake, let's not discuss whether it (or anything else) is or is not art.
I agree, I don't see any deeper meaning to Headpsin Storybook's art design. But its artistic elements--the illustration style, the music, etc.--are still meaningful. They're a large part of why I picked it.
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I'm curious as to how they're meaningful. I like them on a superficial level, but I don't see any other levels.
Pyroman wrote:
Gravey wrote:
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Maybe purposeful is a better word? Though there is some meaning, I suppose, to the fact that subsequent levels don't just shove more trees at you, but instead introduce elements of a growing society (larger homes, numerous waterwells).
I say purposeful because they're evoking the style of a pop-up book, but the authors didn't just settle on random cut-outs.
Revel in the sheer improbability that in a universe of such mind-shattering emptiness, you have someone to love...-Coldstream
They stopped being meaningful to me as devices a long time ago, and now they've stopped being meaningful as things-ClockworkHous
Maybe meaningful isn't the best term. Perhaps I should have said valuable.
Or purposeful, that works
To clarify, I don't think artistic elements need deeper symbolic or thematic meaning to be valuable and important.
It depends on how much you care about that sort of thing. Plenty of gamers place underlying game mechanics well above aesthetic or artistic concerns in terms of how they evaluate games, and that's fine. But I'm a sucker for anything stylish.
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