Made in Toronto, Unleaving is one of the coolest games I've ever played

I don't know how to describe my playing experience Leaveand i mean that in the best possible way.

Totally playable abstract art, the debut title from Toronto-based indie team Orangutan Matter. Amazingly, each frame was hand-painted by artist Sura Karnavi, giving the game a stunning visual style. This artwork is the main vehicle for telling the story, the only direct form of narration coming through enigmatic phrases on the screen, such as “you want the light to come on…”

I quickly appreciated this unusual poetic approach; like any good piece of abstract art, it invites you to draw your own conclusions. All you really know, at least from the beginning, is that there's a little girl you need to guide in this amazing dream world. To be sure, watching the girl run past old wooden houses, dilapidated circus equipment and strange mechanical structures creates a strong sense of melancholy. I am saddened by the loss of a world I did not know, witnessing the masterful art and elusive music of Alicia Enstrom.

Certainly, Leave also has more traditional “game” elements Limbo-style 2.5D puzzle-platforming mechanics. This means you're usually running from left to right with random jumping and object interactions like moving a box or flipping a switch. The mechanical simplicity is welcome as it allows you to better absorb the meditative atmosphere created by the stunning visuals.Puzzles, on the other hand, can do quite a bit, unfortunately too sometimes difficult and some require very precise timing to avoid death. This is somewhat compensated for by the optional help system that pops up after a few deaths, offering a small picture to explain it kindly without overtly telling you like other games do. The brevity and variety of the puzzles means they never feel gridlocked, but I sometimes found myself wanting to speed through them to get to the next great scene.

Indeed, my occasional frustration with some of the puzzles, if anything, has more to do with the quality of the paintings. Throughout the experience, which lasted about two hours, I was eager to find out where it was taking me next, even if I wasn't entirely sure what it meant. As I played, I reflected on a quote from Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan. While promoting his mind-boggling spy thriller Tenetthe English filmmaker suggested to the audience “don't try to understand it, just feel it.”with LeaveOrangutan Matter has created an impressive piece of art that evokes different but equally powerful reactions — feelings, if you want — depends on the player. It's an impressive debut and I'm excited to see what Orangutan does next.

Leave is now available on Steam.

Image credit: Orangutan Challenge