ROM

Developed by three students as part of a program at a German university, ROM is an experimental game that allows players to explore an abandoned island and revive several ancient machines that are capable of controlling the weather.

While more of a short demo than a complete game, ROM is impressive enough that it deserves more attention. Everything from the graphics, visual effects and soundtrack is beautifully crafted, making this project a true work of art.

The player controls a small orb of light, which begins the game at the center of a stone artifact in the middle of the island. From here, you can go pretty much anywhere you wish, and you will see that both the weather conditions and lighting change based on your location.

There are four ancient machines to be found, and, once activated, their effects can be reproduced from the artifact in the center of the island.

While ROM is light on gameplay, there is nothing bad that can be said about its visual design, which is pretty much flawless. The island itself is beautiful enough, and the quality of the weather effects will make you want to experiment with the machines even after you’ve completed your objectives.

Similarly, the sound effects are remarkably well made, which is why we recommend that you use a good pair of headphones when playing this game, or at least turn the volume up to ensure you don’t miss anything.

ROM can certainly be enjoyed for what it offers, but it is more of a showcase and sensory experience in its current state. We don’t know if the development team plans to continue working on this project, but we get the feeling that, if more content was added, this could be turned into a very successful title.