Independent Games Festival: Auditorium

The Independent Games Festival had a record 306 Main Competition entrants for 2010. A full list of the entrants can be found here. Each entry includes links to the game’s website (which often includes a demo) and a video of the game in action.

I just started poking through the list tonight, going alphabetically, and the first game that caught my attention and had an available demo was Auditorium.

Developed by Cipher Prime out of Philadelphia, Auditorium is a web-based aural puzzle game with beautifully hypnotic images and harmonious sounds. The purpose of the game is to position various types of spatial modifiers so that they redirect a beam of light particles  to fill the level’s audio container(s), thus making music.

To be honest, I expected to be bored (as I was with Eufloria). But Auditorium is engagingly interesting and avoids pushing up frustration levels. It would make a great game to load up during a work break or before bed. The music has done wonders on my stress level in the mere ten minutes I’ve played around with it.

A video demo (from the Spring) is below but the best bet is to go to the game’s website and play the built-in demo.  You can also purchase the full game for $10.99.