Backworlds

Backworlds is a multi-dimensional puzzle platformer where players explore by painting portals between two distinct worlds. Each world has its own unique physical properties, and players must creatively use these differences to solve environmental puzzles. By switching between the two realities, players can overcome obstacles and progress through the game’s inventive challenges, crafting original solutions through their own ingenuity.

Backworlds: A Brushstroke of Genius in the Puzzle Platformer Pantheon

In the vast and often derivative landscape of indie puzzle platformers, a game must possess a truly unique hook to carve out its own legacy. Backworlds, a passion project nearly a decade in the making, does not merely carve; it paints its legacy onto the canvas of the genre with a bold, innovative mechanic that redefines environmental interaction. It is a testament to the power of a singular, brilliant idea executed with artistic grace and thoughtful design.

Introduction: The Art of Dimension

Emerging from a nine-year development cycle with little fanfare, Backworlds arrived on PC in 2020 and on Nintendo Switch in 2021 as a quiet revelation. Developed by the small team at Logic Ember Limited, it presents a thesis that is both simple and profound: what if the solution to every environmental puzzle was not a key or a switch, but a brushstroke that alters the very fabric of reality? This review will argue that Backworlds is a masterclass in inventive puzzle design and atmospheric world-building, albeit one slightly marred by control scheme growing pains in its console translation, securing its place as a cult classic for discerning fans of cerebral gameplay.

Development History & Context: A Decade-Long Dream

Backworlds is the brainchild of developers Juha Kangas and Anders Ekermo, operating under the banner Logic Ember Limited. According to reports from Nintendo World Report, the game’s development spanned an astonishing nine years, a gestation period indicative of a small, dedicated team refining a complex core idea without the pressure of a major publisher.

The game was released into a crowded indie market dominated by Metroidvanias and retro-inspired platformers. Its release in February 2020 on Windows (and later May 2021 on Switch) placed it alongside titles that emphasized combat and traversal. Backworlds deliberately eschewed this trend, focusing instead on pure, contemplative puzzle-solving. The technological constraints were likely self-imposed; its beautiful but modest 2D hand-drawn art style allowed the team to focus computational resources on the game’s unique, physics-altering painting mechanic rather than pushing graphical boundaries. This was a game built not on raw power, but on a perfectly crystallized vision.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: A Silent Journey

Backworlds is a game of atmosphere, not narrative. It foregoes a traditional plot, cutscenes, or dialogue. The player controls a charming, twin-tailed feline-like creature whose goal is simply to explore an interconnected world and collect rainbow-colored ink drops by solving puzzles. The “story” is the experience itself: the quiet journey of discovery, the gradual mastery of the game’s mechanics, and the subdued, melancholic beauty of the worlds you traverse.

Thematically, the game explores ideas of perception, duality, and creative problem-solving. The core mechanic of painting between two “worlds”—a bright, natural one and a dark, inverted one—is a constant metaphor for seeing problems from another angle. There is no single “correct” reality; progress is made only by understanding and manipulating the relationship between both states. This lack of explicit narrative is not a deficit but a design choice, allowing the player’s intellectual and emotional engagement with the puzzles to form the entire core of the experience.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: Painting with Physics

The genius of Backworlds lies entirely in its gameplay systems. At its heart, it is a “multi-dimensional puzzle platform game in which you explore by painting.”

• The Core Loop: The player navigates a non-linear, Metroidvania-like map divided into discrete puzzle rooms. The objective in each is to reach a colored ink drop. Progression is gated by collecting enough drops of a specific color to unlock a boss door, which then tests your mastery of that color’s associated mechanic.

• The Painting Mechanic: This is the game’s revolutionary feature. Using a circular cursor (controlled via stick, touch, or gyro on Switch), the player can “paint” the environment. This painting doesn’t add color; it shifts the reality within its circumference to the alternate dimension. Each of the four main worlds introduces a new property for this alternate state:

  • World 1 (Barriers): Painting removes obstacles in the bright world and creates them in the dark world, and vice versa. This is used to create platforms or erase walls.
  • World 2 (Magnets): Painting creates magnetic surfaces that attract your character, allowing for inverted traversal and new puzzle solutions.
  • World 3 (Water): Painting creates bodies of water you can swim through, effectively letting you “fly” through the air in the altered state.
  • World 4 (Gravity): Painting flips the direction of gravity, turning ceilings into floors.

• Character Progression & UI: There is no statistical progression. Your “progress” is the honing of your own understanding. The UI is minimalist, focusing on a map that shows your collection progress and the interconnected puzzle rooms. The control over the brush’s size and the instant erase function provide elegant tools for both broad strokes and precise corrections.

• Flawed Systems: The most consistent criticism, particularly of the Switch port, revolves around the control schemes for the painting mechanic. While the mouse-and-keyboard setup on PC is presumably precise, the console translations are awkward. The analog stick controls are described as “clunky and unnatural,” touch controls can be finicky at screen edges, and the gyro option lacks a recenter function. This creates a friction between the player’s intent and the game’s execution that can occasionally frustrate. Additionally, the boss fights are cited as a weak point, feeling like monotonous and frustrating deviations from the otherwise excellent puzzle design rather than fulfilling culminations.

World-Building, Art & Sound: A Living Sketchbook

The aesthetic presentation of Backworlds is a cornerstone of its success. It achieves a remarkable atmosphere through a cohesive fusion of its elements.

• Visual Direction: The game employs a hand-drawn, papercraft aesthetic that is both charming and deeply atmospheric. The “bright” worlds are lush and verdant, filled with gently swaying foliage and sun-dappled landscapes. The “dark” worlds are monochromatic charcoal sketches, often depicting eerie, geometric cityscapes. The contrast is stark and beautiful. The character animations are full of personality—the creature’s tails flow in the wind, and it can even pop its head off to push blocks.

• Sound Design: The soundtrack, composed by BAFTA-nominated David Housden (known for Thomas Was Alone and Volume), is a masterwork of ambient composition. The tracks are subtle, melancholic, and perfectly tailored to each environment, enhancing the contemplative mood without ever becoming intrusive. The sound effects are minimalistic, focusing on the soft sounds of painting, erasing, and the creature’s movements.

• Atmosphere: Together, the art and sound create a world that feels alive, mysterious, and deeply peaceful. It is a world built not for conflict, but for contemplation. The non-linear structure encourages exploration at your own pace, making the world itself feel like a character—a puzzle to be understood and appreciated.

Reception & Legacy: A Critically Acclaimed Cult Classic

Upon its release, Backworlds garnered a “Very Positive” rating on Steam from over 64 reviews, with a remarkable 96% approval rate. Critics praised its inventive core concept, beautiful presentation, and satisfying puzzle design. The Nintendo Switch port received solid scores in the 7-8/10 range, with reviewers universally applauding the game’s creativity and aesthetics while noting the control compromises.

Commercially, it remains a niche title. Estimates from Video Game Insights suggest modest sales figures (around 1,920 units sold for approximately $5,436 in revenue), which is typical for a small, artistic indie puzzle game without a massive marketing push.

Its legacy, however, is secure. Backworlds stands as a prime example of a game built around one perfect mechanic. It influences by demonstrating how to take a familiar genre and subvert it not with spectacle, but with intellect and artistry. It joins the ranks of games like Braid and Fez— titles that use time and dimension manipulation not just as a gimmick, but as the foundational language of their design. It proves that a game can be challenging, innovative, and utterly serene all at once.

Conclusion: A Masterpiece of Pensive Puzzle Design

Backworlds is an exceptional achievement. It is a game of rare purity, wholly dedicated to the joy of creative problem-solving within a beautifully realized, tranquil world. While the control issues on Switch prevent it from being a perfect port, they do not diminish the brilliance of its core design.

Its place in video game history is that of a hidden gem—a game that may not have shaken the industry to its core but represents a peak of execution within its specific niche. For players who find solace in thoughtful challenges and appreciate games as interactive art, Backworlds is not just a recommendation; it is an essential experience. It is a quiet, brilliant reminder that the most powerful tool in any game is not a sword or a gun, but a well-placed idea.