The Black Glove: Indie Game

Bad news first: this project, from developers misplaced after the sad closure of Irrational Games, did not make its Kickstarter goal. But don’t despair, for there’s too much promise here for that to be the last that we see of The Black Glove. Brand new studio Day For Night Games has an intimidating collective CV of writers and artists from the Bioshock series, and it shows even this early on.

Let’s kick off with the word ‘surreal’. you’re probably going to see that a lot. The game revolves around you exploring a 1920s theatre called The Equinox. Lavish and beautiful, it’s home to three struggling creators an artist called Marisol, film maker avery arnault, and musical performer Many Embers all of whom you must help by plunging back in time and changing their past to affect their art in the present. How do you do this? With the fourth dimension crossing Black Glove. and how do you get the Black Glove? By playing ’80s arcade game The Maze Of The Space Minotaur, of course. now, what was the ‘s’ word again?

Hands off
“The Black Glove is a great opportunity for the team to take everything we’ve learned from working on the Bioshock series about making immersive, narrative-focused games and push it even farther,” explains writer joe Fielder.

“Pieces of information you uncover can directly influence how you change the Past”

“For instance, most story-rich games are about uncovering narrative. We wanted to give players the opportunity to directly affect not only the game’s story but the world around them. That means we have to craft dozens of unique environments and compelling narratives that you’ll want to spend hours exploring fully.” 

as you move through The Equinox, taking in a beautiful world so obviously Developed by the art team who delivered the rich cities of rapture and Columbia, you can listen in on conversations and find hidden details about the three creators. Pieces of information you uncover can directly influence how you change the past, and others will add even more depth to this layered narrative. If this all sounds like tumbling down a rabbit hole, you probably are. and you thought the Luteces were confusing.

It’s a big leap from the more violent worlds of the Bioshock series, but the addition of games such as The Maze Of The Space Minotaur means that the Black Glove is constantly changing. “We consistently heard feedback from players that they wanted to be able to explore these incredible worlds without having to constantly kill or be killed,” explains Fielder. “That doesn't necessarily mean they don’t want gameplay though. The Maze Of The Space Minotaur is meant to be a simple to learn, incredibly deep and fun game within a game. Well, not entirely ‘within’, I suppose… since elements begin to bleed out in strange, surreal ways. It’s not for nothing that we’re calling the Space Minotaur The Equinox’s boogeyman.” among other tests of skill and chance, the vintage Maze Of The Space Minotaur game arms you with a laser sword, a blaster, traps and a teleport pack, and asks you to perform feats in order to summon the Black Glove itself. as the game progresses, these tests a gleeful reflection of Fielder’s real life Xbox achievement addiction get more and more difficult to perform.

Handy man
Once armed with the titular Black Glove, you can interact with The Equinox Mirror to tinker with time and space. Concentrating on one of the creators, you can delve into their lives and change their worlds, all through a time crossing hole in the middle of your palm. you must satisfy the critics of the theatre with your meddling, so as you change artists’ mediums and performers’ muses, you instantly influence the world around you, unlocking a veritable Pandora’s Box of conclusions and some bizarre fail states. “We wanted the player to directly be able to control events in The Black Glove. By changing the past (or, specifically, aspects of each creator’s past), the player will be able to radically affect both the story and world around them,” says Fielder. “Characters within the world provide hints as to what aspect should be changed next, but the player can choose whichever path they like. Some players might want to explore each and every environment. Some might want to dig into the branching narratives of the creators or uncover the larger story at work within The Equinox. Others might just want to beeline through the game, have a blast with The Maze Of The Space Minotaur, and hit all the high notes of the story and art. We’re designing The Black Glove to be fun for all of those types of play.”

It’s possible to complete the game in a small number of hours, but Fielder is content that it’ll keep coming back for more. “a single playthrough will only give you a peek at everything to see and hear and play within The Equinox. you might have helped out the three creators, but it’s unlikely you’ll have been able to uncover all of the theatre’s secrets.”