Sym

Two egos that share the same consciousness, the same existence, always tangent, yet somehow, they never really intertwine. That’s a rough estimate of what Sym is, a game about facing your fears on one side, and on the other, about finding your way through darkness and loneliness.

Right off the bat, Sym is that kind of game that displays a minimalistic look meant to leave you focusing on gameplay and, why not, enjoying a clutter free experience. Everything comes in a blend of pitch black, uncomfortable shades of gray, absolute white and is modeled to form a simple interface to a complex problem.

Sym looks like a basic puzzle platformer and as far as the first few levels go, it is, but something happens along the way. For a game that aims to explore anxiety disorder, it tends to trigger some in yourself as you get to more difficult levels.

It doesn’t become frustrating in any way, but you will struggle from time to time trying to find a way out, just as you can struggle in real life when dealing with anxiety.

The core mechanic in Sym is the ability to switch between two worlds, two egos. One is Caleb, the other is Ammiel and both reside in the invisible protagonist, Josh. Throughout each level you will have to find a way to an elevator to escape to the next one but you will encounter plenty of challenges along the way.

You can get shredded to bits or eaten by giant plants and this can happen in both worlds. Switching between them eliminates one problem but it might just bring forth two new ones. That’s what’s beautiful in Sym, you rarely know whether you just made a good move or a bad one.

On a closing note, Sym is a great choice for those moments when you want to relax your mind while also challenging it. It really allows you to be alone with your thoughts, and who knows, maybe it might say the exact thing you need to hear.