Winner of the International Serious Play Awards’ “Games for Good,” category, this unusual side-scrolling platformer digs into the nature of negative dependency. Play as a bespectacled man shackled to a heavy ball and chain that you must drag, fling, climb, and swing to make your way through the decaying domestic home around you.
Chained’s storyline is intentionally abstract, opening itself up to multiple interpretations. Even so, narrative is a strong component of the game—the student team working indirect storytelling elements in through the environment and gameplay mechanics. Players looking to get the most out of the game should pay close attention to how the ball and chain mechanic changes as they progress, as well as the subtle, and sometimes dramatic, shifts in the world around you.
