Multiplayer Game Reviews

These marbles MUST be here for a reason...

Gateway is a strange little game in which you command a nifty robot-like avatar who must solve a series of puzzles in order to advance. Many of the puzzles are pretty strange, and require very close attention to detail in order for them to be solved. I will offer this advice for anyone who gets stuck: the solution is always close at hand. And another one: If it seems like a clue, it probably is a clue.

While the puzzles are all pretty creative, and some of them are downright sneaky, there isn’t a whole lot of variety in the overall structure of this game. Most of the puzzles take place in the middle of a narrow hallway. Solve the puzzle, move through the door to the next hallway. There are a couple places where the game steps back form this formula, kind of, but not in a way that makes anything seem fresh. However, Gateway is short enough that the repetition won’t have time to annoy you.

My biggest problem with this game was that it feels epic, creepy, and weird, and it seems like something ominous is constantly lurking just around the next corner. That would be awesome if something eventually happened. But nothing ever does. Ever. And I hope it’s not too big a spoiler to mention that absolutely nothing happens when you complete the game, either. It just ends, completely unresolved. It leaves you scratching your head, wondering who these robot-creatures are, what their relationships are to one another (it seems like something strange is going on when you watch the security camera footage), and what motivates them to give you clues (if they are actually the ones feeding you the hints.) However, there is a sequel, and it seems like Gateway II picks up exactly where Gateway ends.

Gateway can probably best be thought of as merely an intro to the much superior follow-up, Gateway II. If you consider it as such, it will be much less likely to disappoint you. Play through this game if you absolutely must see how the events in the Gateway series begin. Otherwise, skip it and jump straight into the sequel.

Um... Go go Gadget jetpack?

Gateway
Gameplay:   Technical:	Solve the puzzles to get to the next gateway.

Game: Gateway | Developer: Cockroach Inc.