Shrapnel Games - Brainpipe review
psychedelic journey into the brain (22/01/2009)
What's in your brain? It runs mostly on oil and water, rather like a car. But with no petrol. Or metal. Or windows. And you don't sit in it. Although in Brainpipe, you kind of do sit in it. Well, you fly down the neural pathways in some sort of abstract vehicle, at any rate.
Brainpipe is an indie developed arcade game with a psychedelic twist. You steer your craft via a first-person view through twisting and turning tunnels, which are littered with a variety of obstacles. Naturally these need to be dodged, while glowing glyphs have to be collected for extra points. The sole control, apart from steering, is the left mouse button which applies the brakes.
It's not quite as easy as it sounds, because as you progress through the ten levels, the base velocity of your craft slowly increases and the number of obstacles is upped as well. Hit too many and you'll quickly lose health and perish, with only the one life on hand. Also, the brakes can only be applied temporarily, as after a second or two they lose traction and it's necessary to wait a little while for them to recharge.
The trippiness of the game is its central feature and, while it's definitely alluring, naturally it makes navigation trickier. When there are a load of wire frame hexagonal holes to steer through, which all mesh together into the distance and are surrounded by a purple and green swirling pattern on the outside of the tunnel, accompanied by sixteen incoming flashing blobs... it can be quite tough.
Brainpipe's psychedelic nature isn't only confined to shifting neon patterns; it's also integrated into the sound, which is actually our favourite part of the game. There are chattering voices, exclamations from hippies ("Pull the chain on your head, man, and flush your mind"), bleeping from old arcade games, bits of radio broadcasts, opera singers and a noise that's suspiciously akin to the Tardis arriving. Every time you brake, the soundtrack is slowed down as well, like a 45rpm record being turned down to 33. The resultant cacophony of altered state sonics is music to very warped ears.
Brainpipe becomes less difficult when you suss out how to use the brakes and best avoid the various obstacles. The brakes should be applied in gradual blips, and you should only hit them hard in total emergencies. Rather unimaginatively, the same obstacles keep repeating themselves over and over again throughout the ten levels. It would have been nice to see some new ones cropping up in the later stages.
But beating it is only half the point. Brainpipe is about experiencing the surreal world as much as finishing the last level. There's no doubting that the psychedelic vibe is cleverly pulled off, particularly on the sonic front, but it won't keep you entertained for long. As an indie game it's fairly cheap, but even so we're not convinced we'd be happy parting with the asking price for what's on offer.
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