An Album In Game Form: East Van EP - [INDIEGAMING]

It was about a year ago when the work of ceMelusine was brought to my attention. A Canadian eccentric video game developer who focuses on the surreal, and through the medium of games attempts to show something unique and special. Something from ceMelusine is going to always be fascinating, and difficult to discuss. And that's why their latest work, East Van EP is so intriguing. Deciding that it would be interesting to try letting players consume games the way they often would music, East Van is a collection of four short games that thematically and stylistically are connected, if not necessarily by narrative.

Part one, Oracle, is the introduction to the EP, and is quite simply what the title advertises. It gives the player the opportunity to be an oracle, making predictions and experiencing visions. Sitting in front of a fire which looks curiously like a flower, the player receives a question rising up from the flames, followed by a series of visions, which then they are asked to interpret from a series of multiple choices. The choices are combined, and the prophecy is made. This will continue on, procedurally generated to give new questions and visions each time. It's very relaxing and meditative, and should the player be of the right mindset, it is something that may hook them for longer than is to be expected.

ceMelusine's distinct sense of aesthetics shines in Oracle, the trees having a bubbly look to them, meanwhile the floral-looking fire radiates out across comparatively realistic implements of war nearby. Swords and spears are strewn about as the questions and visions are received, the visions being glimpses into a monochromatic dream world that sticks with the player. Haunting and elegant, these visions let the player form their own opinions and answer the questions to form their prophecies for themselves, getting what they feel from the game. A sombre, ambient soundtrack accompanies the game and it helps to draw the player into the solitary, mind-enhancing experience.

The second part out so far from the East Van EP is Summon the Apgrod, which feels unrelated to Oracle completely, but has a few thematic similarities running through it - cosmic awareness and the alteration of mental states are constant in the game while the player takes their place tending bar for surprisingly adorable ghosts. Mixing the drinks as signaled, the player will notice some interesting things about the bar; for instance, "spirits" is perhaps a better term for what the player is serving to the patrons. When drinks are served, the ghostly guest will say a few words in their ghostly way, shown in pictographs which add to the alien and higher cosmic concept which prevails throughout the EP.

After serving drinks for a period of time, the show starts. The music quiets, the lights darken, and the stage lights up for a musical interlude. Loud and aggressive, with lyrics displayed on screen in psychedelic colours, this new experience contrasts with the social and receptive experience the bar part of the game offers. During the concert the drinks still need to be served, but the interaction with the ghosts seems more distant, less personal. Gone is the implication of conversation, replaced with the feel of being a quiet service provider to the patrons that previously were interacting much more intimately in thanks for the work done for them. It's very intriguing, and leads into a very cosmic ending to the game as a whole.

Episodes three and four are expected to come out through the course of the year, and if the first two are any indication, the East Van EP is going to be interesting to experience and worth talking about for quite some time to come. I expect that anyone who wants to view games as more than simply vessels for having fun definitely wants to try the games of East Van, as well as anyone who is intrigued by the concept of artistic quality carrying games rather than mechanical or narrative concerns.

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