One of the newest games to come out of Windows Phone Marketplace is Contre Jour – an artistic, beautiful game, but with eerie undertones.
As you probably guessed, Contre Jour is French which, when translated into English, means ‘against day’. It’s also a word used in photography and refers to photographs taken with the light source directly behind the subject, creating silhouettes.
This is a game where the visual element is very much as important as the gameplay itself. The scenes are dark, with light focusing on certain areas of the screen that give a real contrast to all the different action points on the screen.
The aim of Contre Jour is to guide the little blob with a giant eye to safety, collecting various sparkly things on the way to the giant glowing orb on every level.
All this would be easy if there weren’t giant gaps, bottomless pits, and Venus flytrap-looking nasties getting in the way. Plus, you’ve got no arms or legs, so navigating a treacherous landscape is a challenge to say the least.
Thankfully, there are plenty of tools at your disposal. The sticky, stretchy tentacles that can be found hanging around can be used to slingshot you from one area to another, while the other not-so-stretchy tentacles can be just as helpful, offering more control.
Mounds of earth can be manipulated to a certain degree to get your blob (actually named Petit) moving and to give you a little more help when trying to jump a gap.
Published by Electronic Arts and developed as an Xbox LIVE game means that there are lots of achievements to earn. So, get out there and compete with your mates to see who’s the better Contre Jour master.
This is a beautiful game all around. Not only does it look good, but the original orchestrated soundtrack comes from composer David Ari Leon – best known for writing music that can be heard in Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk.
For the best possible experience, lock yourself away, turn off the lights, plug in some headphones and play. Contre Jour won’t disappoint.
Contre Jour is available on the Nokia Lumia 610, Nokia Lumia 710,Nokia Lumia 800 and the Nokia Lumia 900 and costs £2.29 ($2.99).