Daniel Stafford: 'G-Switch' Game Flips 'Canabalt' on Its Head

Sunday, January 23, 2011

'G-Switch' Game Flips 'Canabalt' on Its Head

Forget last year's obsession with using spasmodic flailing as a way to control video games. It's far more interesting for developers to subvert the classic D-pad and buttons that we've been tapping away at for years. The one-button game perfectly realizes this by forcing both developers and players to think laterally without resorting to fancy new technology. Play 'Canabalt,' and then check out our week-long one-button showcase.

'G-Switch' is a high-speed racer that forces you to overcome not only the vertical, but the horizontal as well. You indirectly guide a mechanical runner with only the "X" key, which lets let you switch between upside-down and right-side-up as you race. This Newtonian gameplay technique allows you to circumvent the course's many obstacles better than that the poor gravity-addled character in 'Canabalt,' but also poses its own challenges. Speed strips scattered throughout the course will give you either a boost or a slowdown effect, and compensating for these changes can cause ill-timed crashes and falls. Thankfully, the game has a checkpoint system that allows you to repeat particularly vexing segments as many times as you need. For those who enjoy the gameplay but would rather run free, there is an "endless" game mode that has no goal. G-Switch also includes multiplayer support for up to six players, each of whom is assigned a single key on one keyboard -- which will surely add a healthy dose of crowded frenzy into the mix.

Gallery: G-Switch