Contre Jour Review

Contre Jour is an app from the guys at Chillingo that have had quite a couple of gems the past couple of years. Contre Jour though is a whole new level of game quality. You are introduced to the small spherical character of Petit, who has one eye, rolls around, and occasionally makes a noise or two. The game is set up a lot like the popular Cut the Rope app. You as the player have different tools in each stage to move Petit around to blue portal that is the end goal. Each stage will also have three sets of lights that you can try to collect.

And though the concept is similar to Cut the Rope, the gameplay isn’t. You can make dips and hills in the landscape at will, and you have access to elastic and non-elastic ropes, air cannons, and other portals. Should you fall or hit any spikes, you will have to start the stage over but luckily there is a very small wait time so you can get right back into the game. Though the levels start out straightforward and simple they gradually grow more difficult, and chances are you will die dozens of times trying to figure out how to get the last set of lights on some of the later stages. Lights and time bonuses will also give you incentives to back to previous levels and try to beat your previous scores.

Graphically the game looks beautiful, especially on the new iPad with the retina display. The art style makes great use of contrast between dark and light colors and is reminiscent of the downloadable console game hit, Limbo. Even more impressive than the graphics is the music. At the beginning of the game you are told to where headphones for the optimal experience. They tip you off on that for good reason. The soundtrack is incredibly immersive and soothing, and it seems to fit right into the world that Contre Jour is set in. Plus it is nice having some calming music in the background when you get frustrated from dying so much on harder stages.

Chillingo did well with Contre Jour and continually update it with new levels and bug fixes, all free of cost. The game is a true gem and is a nice change of pace and style from the likes of Angry Birds and other action games currently vying for the top spot in the app store.