In Focus: Mightier

Mightier does something that not too many games have had the courage to do: use connected devices as central components for gameplay. Mightier does this in a way that is almost seamless, so that it doesn’t feel clunky or stupid. In the game ypou play as the Actionaut, a special character that surveys the environment looking for special objects called Datagons. Unfortunately, the little explorer can only jump one level and the only way to get to them is to use an orbital laser to carve out plates that are locked into the planet’s crust.

Using a connected web cam and printer, players interact with the game in the real world. This is accomplished by using your printer to print out a schematic, which you then draw on, and rescan back into the game using a connected web cam. For those that want to experience the game without all the connected device interaction, the game offers an in-game doodle pad, but to play the game that way cheapens the entire experience. You can also draw on gear and other objects you pick up in the game and you can also design your Actionaut’s look.

It’s an interesting concept, and though the gameplay isn’t all that deep, it’s free, tries to be innovative, and is oodles of fun for a little while.

Download Mightier directly from www.ratloop.com. Appropriately, Mightier has been nominated for the 2009 IGF.