The Spectrum Retreat Makes an Impressive Indie Debut

When Scott showed me this game, he referred to is as “a total Zack game.” Turns out, he was right. The Spectrum Retreat is full of mystery and intrigue, leaving me pretty bummed when the demo ended. I wanted to learn more!

Who Can You Really Trust?

Your character awakens in a hotel staffed by mannequins. As if that wasn’t creepy enough, the only occupant of the hotel seems to be you. As you’re led around by these creepy staff members (whose mouths light up only when they speak), a woman chimes into your cell phone. She tells you to play along, but in doing so you’re led to test chambers. It’s hard to know who to trust.

Speaking of the test chambers, this is where the crux of the gameplay comes into focus. Color manipulation is the puzzle of choice here. I had to utilize red and white in different ways to unlock doors. It’s trickier than it sounds, but it’s always hard to put puzzle mechanics into words. You can only carry one color at a time, and you have to use them on blocks at the appropriate time. The ramp in difficulty was perfect, at least for this first level I played. It begins almost far too easy, but by the end I felt like I was a genius for solving the puzzles.

The dichotomy between the hotel and test chambers is pretty interesting. The hotel is presented in an almost art deco style, whereas the game takes on a sci-fi feel for the test chambers. They stand in stark contrast, but I was told by the developer the barriers between worlds will start to crumble as the plot progresses.

The developer, by the by, is one 20-year-old guy. He’s been working on the game solo for most of the five years it’s been in development. It’s an impressive story. Dan Smith Studios and Ripstone Games are releasing this one right around the corner on July 10th. Hopefully we’ll have more to say by then. It stood out amongst a crowded E3 showing. In the meantime, be sure to listen to our E3 2018 Day 2 Recap episode beginning at 1:25:03 for more.