OVIVO is a mesmerizing platformer that breaks the mold with its unusual mechanics where everything is rendered in simple black and white. More than just a gimmick, the monochrome aesthetics serves as a core metaphor for a game filled with illusions, hidden depths, and open-ended meaning. Released in 2018, this app comes from Russian indie studio IzHard. The player takes the role of OVO, a character literally split into black and white halves. Each color has its own gravity that pulls in opposite directions. This novel movement system introduces complex new ways to maneuver through the environment, chaining redirections and using gravity shifts to arc through the air becomes deeply satisfying with practice. Beyond the smart mechanics, OVIVO's mysterious world brims with visual riches, with hidden images and surreal transitions between areas. The striking visuals have an eerie, dreamlike quality that compels you forward through minimalist corridor levels and stark underground spaces. The ambient soundtrack by Brokenkites enhances the otherworldly atmosphere. With no instructions beyond the core mechanics, this app leaves much open to interpretation, allowing for a more personal experience. These elements come together to produce an experience both cerebral and visceral. Even after unraveling OVIVO's narrative, its striking visuals and satisfying gameplay create an enduring allure. The novel gravity mechanic grants new possibilities for movement and puzzle-solving, and its cryptic world offers challenge and catharsis, with personal meaning waiting to be discovered. This inventive black-and-white game proves opposites can attract.
Features of OVIVO:
- Unusual mechanics: OVIVO breaks the mold with its unique mechanics, where everything is rendered in simple black and white. The monochrome aesthetics serve as a core metaphor for a game filled with illusions, hidden depths, and open-ended meaning.
- Shifting gameplay: The player takes the role of OVO, a character split into black and white halves. Each color has its own gravity that pulls in opposite directions, allowing OVO to navigate puzzle-like levels by constantly shifting back and forth.
- Momentum preservation: The momentum you build up is preserved when you change colors, allowing you to almost surf along the borders where contrasting gravity fields meet. This novel movement system introduces complex new ways to maneuver through the environment.
- Puzzle-solving satisfaction: Chaining redirections and using gravity shifts to arc through the air becomes deeply satisfying with practice. Solving certain puzzles can feel like assembling a Rube Goldberg machine, linking together gravity bounces and mid-air flips.
- Mysterious world: OVIVO's mysterious world is brimming with visual riches. The stark 2D art style makes excellent use of optical illusions, hidden images, and surreal transitions between areas. Giant hands, keys, and cryptic symbols litter the landscape, hinting at some grand allegory.
- Meditative experience: To fully immerse players in this enigmatic realm, this app dispenses with excessive text and dialogue. The story unfurls through the scenery, music, and moments of revelation when solving puzzles. This design creates a meditative, almost spiritual mood.
Conclusion:
OVIVO is a mesmerizing platformer that offers a unique gaming experience with its unusual mechanics and monochrome aesthetics. The shifting gameplay, momentum preservation, and puzzle-solving satisfaction make it engaging and satisfying to play. The mysterious world and meditative experience add depth and intrigue to the game. With its striking visuals and satisfying gameplay, this app has enduring allure and proves that opposites can attract.
