SURREALISTa - Tribute to Chirico

Although there’s an ongoing debate on whether video games can be classified as a form of art or not, it’s quite obvious that the medium can be used to express a variety of artistic creations. Whether it’s gorgeous visuals and memorable artwork, an incredible soundtrack or a well-written story that keeps on you the edge of your seat, there are plenty of ways to be impressed by video games.

SURREALISTa - Tribute to Chirico is a short exploration game that aims to provide you with a closer look into Giorgio Chirico’s paintings. In case you are not familiar with him, he was a famous surrealist painter famous for his enigmatic renderings of everyday places and objects. The game at hand transforms some of his paintings into 3D environments that can be freely explored.

Not only that, but you even have a few puzzles to solve, although they are not exactly tough, nor different from each other. In essence, you usually have to find the exit or the button that unlocks the exit door. It’s a simple mission, but at least it encourages you to explore the painting in its entirety and really take in every detail as you are looking for the switch.

There are a few trivia pieces you can read as well, and they can be of great help if this is your first contact with the famous painter. Speaking of which, all the paintings are displayed in a gallery, and you can walk between them and choose the one you want to explore by opening the appropriate door. None of them are locked, and you can visit them in any order.

As for the graphics, the designers have managed to keep the feeling of the original paintings, although they are quite basic in most regards. They all static and pretty low-poly, but then again, the pictures are not very detailed either. To make things even more relaxing and pleasant, there’s a soothing soundtrack playing in the background at all times.

Although SURREALISTa - Tribute to Chirico is not much of a game per se, it’s a very nice way to learn more about surrealism and Chirico himself. The game looks pretty mesmerizing, despite the basic visual quality.