I think it’s a funny trend in gaming where seemingly the simpler the base concept is of a game the more creative the final product turns out to be. And Yet It Moves is a prime illustration of this idea. On the surface, the game is a straight platformer where the only goal in every level is simply to reach the end. However, with an interesting little mechanic thrown onto that idea, which becomes not a gimmick but an integral part of gameplay with every level designed around this concept, a very pleasantly modern indie take on a classic genre emerges.

In one sense, And Yet It Moves is a no frills platformer. Every level consists almost exclusively of “start here, end here” gameplay with the occasional puzzle or enemy tossed in. Most of the time you’ll just find yourself running through the levels with your little paper cut-out character being the only living thing on screen. That being the case, AYIM never becomes boring. Instead, this basic concept mixes with the game’s strange and subdued soundtrack and naturalistic sound effects to create a really soothing experience. Now, normally “soothing experience” is a term that translates into “boring” in my head, but it honestly works well and is pleasing in this game.

Then again, if I were going to pay for a game I would hope that it offers more than strange ambiance and a calming atmosphere. Luckily, AYIM does. The key draw of the game isn’t that it’s just a pretty looking platformer, but that it’s a platformer with a twist. (I know, wacky, right?) When navigating the world you’re not just navigating your little guy through the environment - you’re also orienting the environment around your character. The challenge of this game is that you’re constantly running into seemingly impassible situations and you need to figure out how to rotate the world in order to fix this. I may have played a few games that used this gimmick before, but I’ve never seen it fleshed out into a full-on mechanic as well as it is in And Yet It Moves.

Occasionally, the puzzles become more complex and enemy-like entities show up to make life difficult for you, but most of the time you’ll just be focused on navigating the environment through atypical level layouts. That’s fine because it really works well here. The paper cut-out designs mixed with the music and progressively weirder levels make playing the game a sort of trippy experience which, in a sense, is needed to help keep it from seeming a little boring at parts. Most of the time, though, the game keeps a good pace through its short run time (2-3 hours of gameplay). At $15 I think And Yet It Moves is a worthwhile purchase earning equal merit on creativity as well as enjoyability.

You can purchase And Yet It Moves directly from the developer as well as on Steam and several other digital distributors. Links to all methods of purchase are located on the developer’s website.

And Yet It Moves Website