A Cosmic Mind Trip Through the Absurd
TV, film or theatre writers may be able to come up with brilliant scripts and concepts, but they still have to get people to read or make it.
To do so, they would utilise a number of elements, with one being to create a logline or elevator pitch for the work. For example, in “God of War“, it could be ‘Ares wreaks havoc in ancient Greece to avenge the death of his family’.
But some games are so hard to explain and define in normal terms, working much more esoteric, bizarre, and hard to pin down ideas.
Centum is one of those games and it’s splendid.
Exploring Centum’s Unconventional Story
The story here is, well, let’s just say it is open to interpretation…
It’s a cosmic mind buzz of self-reflection, big ideas, identity, and the use of AI. At least, that’s what I got out of Centum, but I have a feeling you might find something completely from the different themes found inside it.
You start the game peering at a computer home screen, looking at windows, a display of files, text documents, and a program to run. Going through the files brings some warnings to the fore, as well as docs that don’t make sense. So you run the program.
Imprisoned by Code
It’s here where you dip into a strange prison cell; complete with a bed, a table and a door. Instantly a strange multi-headed entity comes to the door and asks you a series of questions about who you are. No answers are given, not about who you are or what you need to do. But basically, you have three days and nights in this cell before the program finishes. It’s up to you to try and work out what’s going on.
Centum is a strange tale of unreliable narrators, strange misleading stories and multiple endings. Did I understand it? No. But did I love it? Yes!
There is no doubt that should you be a fan of more linear storytelling and narratives, then you might well struggle with Centum. Yet, from my point of view, the strangeness was something that I fully embraced.
Point-and-Click Paradox
The game works as a point and click adventure at its core. You are presented with a 2D view and it’s up to you to drag the cursor around and examine objects or environmental areas on the screen. You will click on something and several choices will appear, providing options.
For example, there is a mug on the table so do you want to ignore it, drink it, or throw it on the floor? Then you have several dialogue trees to follow as well, taking in various choices as to what you want to say back. Some of these decisions will make no difference to the outcome, while others might change things; for better or worse.
Centum also has an escape room feel about it, as you try to find your way out of, not just the prison and loop, but also out of the computer AI itself. There are some diverging mini-games as well, including those that cover both driving and shooting, accompanying a multitude of engaging puzzles; like trying to put a man together through anatomical drawings so you can chat to him.
Disturbing Beauty
The game itself has a distinct, yet amazing, art design. Think of your favourite and strangest comic book and then mix it with some artwork from someone like Francis Bacon and you might get an idea of the style. It uses the pixel art world to great and original effect, delivering on disturbing and beguiling ideas all in good measure.
The soundtrack adds to this feeling of discomfort as well, with some amazing music. Effects are also pretty disturbing, as drones and radio static come to the fore.
A Bold and Bizarre Adventure for the Open-Minded
I love games that try new things and make bold choices. Centum does that, taking the notion of a point-and-clicker, mixing in some escape room vibes and turning it all on its head. The visual art style and music are both disturbing and very creative, whilst the mini games and puzzles bring intrigue.
This is a game in which you’ll never really know if you are playing it right, or even if you are making progress; very obscure in how it goes about things. But for many, that will work. And those people should give Centum some of their time.
Your Links
Escape the Cell, Question Reality: Centum Launches on Consoles and PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/escape-the-cell-question-reality-centum-launches-on-consoles-and-pc/
Buy Centum on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/centum/9n2gqkwlc0qm
