Duet is a game for iOS and Android, where one must rotate two spheres to avoid blocks. Sounds easy? Wrong, it's Nintendo Hard. Whenever you think that you're starting to get the hang of it, the game sends a new challenge your way, and you go from feeling like you are the master of everything in the universe, to a useless ant that can't do anything in a matter of seconds. Then you start getting the hang of it again, and then you rinse and repeat.
Duet contains examples of:
- Antepiece: Used for each new mechanic and obstacle. You get introduced to the concept of dodging, cool. Now dodge this spinning brick. You can dodge a spinning brick? Navigate this torrent of spinning and non-spinning bricks. You got that? Well now dodge these bricks which are moving at different speeds. You got that? These ones move side to side. By the end of the game, you are maneuvering through insanely complicated levels, with all sorts of crazy obstacles.
- Autosave: Whenever you beat a wave. Pretty much a necessity, because you die A LOT.
- Boss Remix: The same theme pops up over and over as the gameplay gets more intense, and the music goes from casual ambient to psychedelic to match.
- Boléro Effect: Adds to the hypnoticism of the experience in certain parts, as the gameplay gets more intense.
- Bonus Stage: In "Continuance" mode, waves whose numbers end in 700, 800, 900, or 000 are absurdly fast, but all you have to do is hold one direction and watch the blocks whiz by.
- Brutal Bonus Level: The levels on the bottom of the "Challenges" page. Every challenging aspect of the game is made even more brutal in these. In "Transcendence", for instance, the blocks vanish almost the moment you see them, so you have to really learn to project where the blocks will be. And in "Resilience", there are disappearing blocks that swing side-to-side as well, so you have to be REALLY savvy to predict where they will be when you have to dodge them.
- Collision Damage: What do you think the game is about? Also, in Endless mode, you have 3 hearts, and they regenerate fairly slowly, so you're gonna have to be really good at dodging the blocks, otherwise you'll be set back at the beginning very quickly.
- Distinctive Appearances: The different blocks generally suggest that you have to move in a different way: When you see medium-sized squares, it's a safe bet that you are either going to have to avoid the middle (if it's in the center of the screen), or rapidly alternate which direction you're going to have to rotate in (if they aren't in the center of the screen). Longer, horizontal blocks tend to mean you have to constantly rotate in one direction. Even more so once you start the Epilogue, as the splitter blocks have a prominent arrow-shaped design, and there are also small blocks which rapidly open and close, confusing the player as to which position they need to be in.
-
Nintendo Hard: Whenever you get used to a new mechanic, the game turns it up to 11 in the next round. - One-Hit-Point Wonder: If you get hit once, you have to restart the level. Averted to a certain extent in Endless, since you have 3 lives, but you still have to restart a wave whenever you get hit.
- Post-End Game Content: Epilogue, as well as Encore, all 3 Endless modes, the bonus levels, AND the Speedruns.
- Rule of Funny: One of the achievements, which is awarded for playing the endless mode, is called Double Infinity.
- Secret Test of Character: The final dialogue for "Depression": "I don't want you to keep going" And then, right after that, in the first dialogue for "Hope": "I want you to want to keep going"
I am here.
