Sature Turns Puzzles into Art
Before he ever considered designing an indie game, Ian Sundstrom of S.S. 64 Games was an artist. More precisely, he was, and is, a painter. Once you know that, it’s not hard to see how he came up with the idea for his new game Sature.
Inspired by the mixing of colors on a palette, Sature is a turn-based strategy game where players can compete against a human opponent via local multiplayer, or against the game’s AI. Each turn, a colored tile is placed on the board. The color is significant, because the tile’s original color blends with those of adjacent tiles. Each tile has small arrows on it, and the arrows indicate the neighboring tiles from which the player will draw new colors.
“The result,” says Sundstrom, “is a chess-like dance where players rely on their wits to outmaneuver their opponent. When the board is complete and a game is finished, a unique palette emerges from the way the colors have mixed as they were played on the board. Each player’s goal is to darken and dull out their opponent’s colors while maintaining the brightness and saturation of their own.”
Because of the nature of the gameplay, Sature will never look the same way twice. The boards and colors are randomly generated, and each completed round results in a singular work of art. The full version of the game makes this even more possible, with 16 extra themed starting palettes, five unique game pieces, and several customizable options. Sature is also inclusive for players with certain visual concerns; it features a color blind mode which assists players who are unable to tell the difference between the pieces’ varying hues.
Sature is available on multiple platforms; PC, Mac, and Linux gamers can find it online, with the option to simply pay what you wish to access the full game. It’s also available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as a free download. (A one-time fee of $2.99 USD unlocks the full version.) You can also find Sature and S.S. 64 Games on Facebook and Twitter for more colorful adventures.
