Publisher: Headup Games
Developer: DnS Development
System requirements: Windows XP SP3 or Vista SP2, Pentium IV 2.4 GHz CPU or better, 1 GB RAM, ATI Radeon 9600/nVidia Geforce 6600 or better graphics card, 8 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
Genre: Action/Puzzle
Release date: Available now

Tired of mindless shoot-em-ups that require no strategic thinking? Frictional Games’ Penumbra series and Valve’s Portal introduced a different type of gaming challenge, in which physics-based interaction within a full 3D environment—not shooting—is the key to overcoming obstacles. German DnS Development’s Twin Sector continues this tradition, trapping you in locational predicaments from which you have to emerge unscathed. Completely devoid of human interaction, you’d better keep your thinking cap on and your hand-eye coordination sharp.

An unexplained apocalypse on Earth’s surface sends a group of important people to underground suspended animation chambers, to emerge when the time is right. You play Ashley Simms, an athlete who has been put to sleep and is summarily awakened well before her time by the artificial intelligence program OSCAR. While Ashley initially just fixes a broken generator, later OSCAR tells her that various parts of the facility are malfunctioning and that she has to repair them. As the game progresses, the story becomes slightly more complex, involving a dangerous enemy and a betrayal.

You play through 17 missions in which action-oriented puzzle solving (including platform jumping) is dominant. You have a pair of telekinetic gloves—one attracts objects to you, and the other repels them. The gloves allow you to throw objects around, pull yourself up to locations you could not normally reach, and drop from heights without killing yourself by repelling when you get near the ground (you cannot fall far without significant damage). You navigate through a maze-like structure full of inconveniently locked doors, mysterious switches and lethal lasers. You manage enemies—especially vicious balls radiating electricity—by avoiding them or by moving objects.

On the plus side, Twin Sector has many interesting and challenging physics-based puzzles. The developers display the ability to combine familiar elements in fresh ways. The artificial intelligence of the enemies is impressive and fun to confront. The graphics are technically well done if somewhat stark, and the physics are generally realistic. The sound effects are acceptable, and the music—though infrequent—is excellent when played. It’s really nice that the puzzles often have multiple solutions. The gameplay is long enough to take up a major chunk of your leisure time, especially since it’s unlikely you’ll be able to sail right through the challenges.

On the minus side, Twin Sector lacks new elements. Too many puzzles (and rooms you traverse) are repetitive—blasting through doors or avoiding laser beams gets tedious fast. The story is poorly developed, bears little relation to the level design, and the ending is lame. You die often, and reloading always displays the same view of Ashley. Glitches can cause unexpected game exiting. Controls are touchy, especially when setting down or rotating objects. The graphics palette is limited to grays, browns and blues. Some puzzles seem impossible without blind luck, with OSCAR’s “help” turning out to be largely an annoyance.

Despite its limitations, if you like physics challenges, Twin Sector is worth playing. You have to be very patient and willing to consider lots of options to succeed. The small gameplay issues all could have been resolved with more playtesting, and at times your motivation to continue playing could be low. Nonetheless, in a sea of me-too releases, this offering is sufficiently offbeat and different to be well worth a serious look.

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