Even when they’re not particularly useful for gameplay, they still come across as sincere and endearing. They occasionally give a crucial hint for a nearby puzzle, but they’re equally likely to present cute bits of advice such as living by your own time, not someone else’s. Then there’s the host of pictures scattered throughout Antichamber’s rooms. Many of Antichamber’s puzzles use of color in an otherwise black and white world helps point you in the right direction or signal the start of something new. Sparingly-used visual cues help push you to explore. In short: you learn almost immediately to doubt what you see on the surface, and to try options beyond the obvious. It makes every moment unpredictable and every step forward exciting, since that might just be the key to unlocking another puzzle. Walkways and staircases might appear out of thin air right beneath your feet.

Or you might get up close to look at something then pull away from it and find that nothing is as you left it. For instance you might wander down a hallway and turn around after you hit a doorway to find that everything behind you has changed. Antichamber takes advantage of this, screwing with your surroundings in unexpected ways. You play entirely in first-person, and thus have a relatively limited field-of-view.

Play Antichamber doesn’t waste time before presenting you with mind-boggling puzzles.

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