by Omar (@siegarettes)

• FOTONICA
• Developer - Santa Ragione
• Publisher - Santa Ragione
• PC (Steam, DRM-Free), iOS, Android, Ouya
  
• Rating - N/A

Let’s be real here. When Canabalt released in 2009 it redefined a genre, creating a new one in its wake. The monochrome style, pulsing music, and endless obstacles created something immediately compulsive. Every game in the genre has been chasing it ever since. 

Enter FOTONICA. Originally conceived as Tales of an Unspoken World for a TIGSource game jam, it evolved and iterated upon until it reached its current state. FOTONICA mixes washed out low poly landscapes somewhere between Rez and Vib-Ribbon, a driving soundtrack, and Santa Ragione’s sharp design sense to create something distinct. 

The art direction here cannot be understated. Screenshots are alright for illustrating FOTONICA's art style, but it deserves to be seen in motion. Stock Unity launcher aside (a hated enemy of mine that always draws a scowl), Santa Ragione have created a cohesive and beautiful minimalist aesthetic that is a highlight of the game. Everything from the opening logo to the menus is an example of keen visual design in action. It errs on the side of style over function in places, but not enough to annoy. 

This minimalist approach extends to the game as well. Whereas other successors to the genre have complicated the formula with gimmicks, FOTONICA is satisfied to keep focused on a sense of momentum. There’s a single type of collectible, as well as multi-tiered level designs, but they are secondary to the goal of achieving maximum speed.

Holding a single button will build up speed. Let it go to launch yourself into the air, press it again to descend. It’s a small wrinkle that gives you more air control and creates a focus on perfecting the arc. (There’s also an alternate “Atomic” control scheme that controls height by press length, likely a in a nod to Canabalt creator Adam “Atomic” Saltsman). The tiered stages give you some leeway to catch yourself if you miss a jump. Later stages also introduce a launcher to gain more airtime. 

The first person view exasperates the sense of speed here. The camera movements, visible hands and sound design create a sense of heft to your movements, a physicality. Hitting top speeds brings a lurching forward momentum, illustrated by a Hitchcock zoom as the palette is washed over by deep bass and hot yellows. 

That momentum is what drives FOTONICA. First person fans will no doubt make the connection to Mirror’s Edge, as they both provide the same stomach dropping sense of physicality and space. Changing the game’s visual style to “Flat” might even bring back memories of the washed out city, though FOTONICA lacks the same bursting primary colors and complex designs.

The rest of the game mostly serves to highlight this momentum. The receding horizons and soundtrack create draw you into the zen of tunnel vision. Horizontal lines and background objects create a visual measure for your speed. (There is an actual number on the HUD but its abstracted and not easy to read in the moment). Those may seem like little details, but they show off a strong, considered approach to design. 

FOTONICA is split across a few modes. Arcade brings hand made levels with a varied visual texture. The levels are well crafted, though latter levels can have you falling into a trap of trial and error depending on your skill. (Difficulty can be adjusted across four ranks). Endless is exactly that, with two other themes that can be unlocked by hitting a score threshold. It’s also where you’ll compete for scores. Finally, there’s a four player mode new to this version. It’s enjoyable and can get tense, but it’s obvious that the game wasn’t created with it in mind. 

FOTONICA’s success comes in a complex simplicity. Everything is understated in a way that can be easy to overlook. The visuals, the sound design, even the menus are gorgeous in a way that just fits. Like a lot of good design, it becomes almost invisible in a way that leaves us to absorb it in a way that becomes near unconscious, losing ourselves in the pursuit of the endless horizon.

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SECOND OPINION
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by RJ (@suppadoopa)

Oh great, another endless runner. And in black in white you say? So now, it’s trying to be that artsy type of game. That is what I thought while I was downloading the game. It was simply going to be another endless runner that “tries” to be different from the rest. But you know what? It is different from the rest.

How is it different from the 2000 or so out in the market? For once it actually forces you to pay attention. While other endless runners out there you can simply jump willy nilly and you will probably make it to the other side, FOTONICA forces you to pay attention to your jumps. Your timing is important here. From the moment you press that single button to the moment you land it brings out that “damn son” type of feel. It makes you want to progress even further to see how far you can achieve without falling to your endless death.

And that is what I loved most about FOTONICA. It was just addicting. Seeing how far I can run and jump. I disregarded the arcade mode almost immediately and just went straight to endless mode where I think is the bread and butter for this game. I just wanted to get farther and farther just to prove to myself that I can do it. But sadly, that even wore out for me. Not because of it’s repetitiveness, but it just looks so dull to the eye. 

Now I don’t mind simplicity in videogames. But with FOTONICA, it’s simplicity is its downfall. The monochrome vibe it projects is just makes it lifeless. Now I understand that a endless runner doesn’t need to be flashy since that gets you easily distracted, but that doesn’t mean the game couldn’t use a bit more vibrancy here and there.