Gateways (2012)

Developer: Smudged Cat Games Ltd
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Indie
Rating: 4.5 of 5, 251 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 5.2 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A classic 2D puzzle-platformer that feels like a clever, methodical exploration through a sprawling lab, using gateway guns and time echoes to solve puzzles at your own pace.

puzzle-platformerretro-styled2dtime manipulationsize-changingexplorationsingleplayermetroidvania-inspired

What players say

Players compare it to a 2D Portal with extra mechanics like scaling, gravity, and time travel. It is short, around 5 hours, and blends puzzle solving with metroidvania backtracking. Players are split on the difficulty, with some finding the later puzzles and time travel sections challenging.

Screenshots

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More by Smudged Cat Games

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.