I occasionally browse demos as a way to try new games I hadn’t heard of. That’s how, a few years ago, I came across a wonderful little gem of a game called Figment. The game was developed by Bedtime Digital Games and released in 2017 without much fanfare. Figment has just over 1,200 user reviews on Steam, remaining relatively unknown, and that’s a real shame.
The title takes only about five to six hours to complete, and every moment is full of quirky characters, whimsical environments and puzzles, and boss battles that double as musical numbers. (Yes, you read that right.) Best of all, Figment will be free next week on the Epic Games Store, making it the best time to give the sweet little game a try.
Figment Takes Players On A Musical Adventure Through Consciousness
A World Where Every Boss Battle Is A Musical Number
Figment is set in a strange land of interconnected islands, where players are introduced to the main protagonist of the game, Dusty—a humanoid character that evokes a monster from Where the Wild Things Are. When we meet him, Dusty is unhappy and dejected, wanting nothing but to be left alone.
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His literal wake-up call arrives in the form of a bird-like creature named Piper, who lets him know that he’s needed. Dusty is reluctant to come along with Piper until he comes face-to-face with a strange and long-armed “nightmare creature,” which Piper tells him has been taking over and bringing chaos to their home.
With items named “cerebrum cider” and “synapse battery,” it slowly becomes apparent that the events of this game unfold not in a strange land far away, but inside someone’s mind. Spurned into action by the theft of his scrapbook at the hands of one of the nightmare creatures, Dusty retrieves his sword and embarks on an adventure to recover his precious memories and rid the mind of its fears and nightmares.
The rest of the game plays out as an action RPG through the world of the mind, collecting endorphins and lost memories and fighting your way through nightmarish monsters lurking in the shadows of the unconscious. Hack, slash, and roll through a whimsical and surreal hand-drawn world, solving environmental puzzles to progress through the interconnected map of locations like Cerebrum City and the Overpass of Originality.
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Along the way, players meet with the quirky denizens of the mind and watch Dusty—the courage of the mind—find his purpose again with the ever-peppy guidance of Piper—representing optimism. As the two travel, they uncover the secrets as the character whose mind they occupy, as the mind embarks on a journey of recovery following a life-altering traumatic experience.
If all that doesn’t sound intriguing enough for you, what really sets this game apart is its strong ties to music. As Dusty moves through the world with Piper in tow, the world reacts to him. Plants shaped like gourds, mandolins, and trumpets add their voices to the background music as Dusty walks past them, leading to a soundtrack that constantly shifts and morphs around the player depending on their location on the map.
“Every boss fight in Figment is a musical number.”
The final icing on the delectable surrealist cake is uncovered when Dusty and Piper finally catch up to the dastardly nightmare creature, and it bursts into song. Every boss fight in Figment is a musical number with an awesome beat and fantastic lyrics, which elevates each boss encounter to a delightful dance of various genres, from a groovy rock ballad to a slinky jazz piece. The end result is a game that’s fun to play and figure out, and a feast for the ears.
Figment Will Be Free On Epic Games Next Week
Or You Can Get It Now On Steam For A Huge Discount
If Figment sounds interesting to you, there’s some excellent news: The game will be completely free to download and keep forever on the Epic Game Store between July 3 and 10. Stop by any time during that time to add the title to your Epic Games library and experience the whimsical journey for yourself. If you can’t wait that long, the game is currently on sale for the Steam Summer Sale, so you can snag it right now for an 80% discount at $3.99.
“[Figment] will be completely free to download and keep forever on the Epic Game Store between July 3 and 10.”
And if you love Figment, there’s even more excellent news: Dusty and Piper’s adventures continue in the 2023 sequel, Figment 2: Creed Valley, currently also on sale in the Steam Sale for $4.99—or, you can buy both in the Steam bundle for just $5.38. However you get to it, I highly recommend this unique indie hidden gem, which will have you tapping along to the music as you delve into a surprisingly deep story about the resilience of the human mind.
Source: Figment/Steam, Epic Games Store, Figment/Epic Games Store, Steam
Figment
- Released
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September 22, 2017
- ESRB
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E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
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Bedtime Digital Games
- Publisher(s)
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Bedtime Digital Games
