''Metamorphabet'' is an 2015 puzzle

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by Vectorpark.

Gameplay

The player interacts with each letter to proceed through the alphabet. For instance, the letter A grows antlers, becomes an arch, and begins to amble. Then it is replaced by the letter B. The letters and words are read aloud.

Development

''Metamorphabet'' is an

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

game developed by Patrick Smith. He had previously worked on the 2009 ''

Windosill ''Windosill'' is a 2009 puzzle video game by Vectorpark for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, web browsers, and iOS. The player advances through eleven different rooms by interacting with each level's environmental objects. It was developed b ...

''. Smith designed the game to feel "intuitive" and "as natural as possible" for all users, but also designed to be accessible to young children. The game was in development for three years but only came to fruition when Smith thought of having the letters turn into words. The game was released for iOS devices on February 12, 2015, and for

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

and

OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

via

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

on April 29.

Reception

''Metamorphabet'' won the 2015 Independent Games Festival's Excellence in Visual Art award and was a finalist for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. It was one of ten Apple Design Award recipients in 2015. Reviewers noted the game's charm and intuitiveness. Andrew Webster of ''

The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media' ...

'' wrote that ''Metamorphabet'' helps kids learn the alphabet and vocabulary, though the game "isn't educational in the traditional sense", as it does not force the player in one direction. He described the game as "more playful than instructive" and "more of a toy than a textbook", making it a suitable first video game for his two-year-old daughter. Webster thought the gameplay was "charming and intuitive" and "fun ... to watch". Evan Narcisse of ''

Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...

'' similarly wrote that the game was the first his four-year-old was allowed to play alone. He noted that she struggled with games like ''

Cut the Rope Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut ( ...

'' and ''

Where's My Water ''Where's My Water?'' is a puzzle video game developed by American studio Creature Feep and published by Disney Mobile, a subsidiary of Disney Interactive Studios. Released for desktop web browsers and devices using iOS, Android, Windows Phone a ...

'', and thought that a game like ''

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

'' or ''

Hohokum ''Hohokum'' is a 2014 art video game developed by Honeyslug and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita, and by Annapurna Interactive for Microsoft Windows. The player controls a snakelike ...

'' would be her first, but found ''Metamorphabet'' to be sufficiently magical in that it inspired curiosity without being "overly earnest or treacly".

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Video games, border=yes 2015 video games Android (operating system) games Children's educational video games Indie games IOS games Single-player video games Video games developed in the United States Windows games MacOS games Apple Design Awards recipients Articles containing video clips Independent Games Festival winners