Alignment by Benn Powell, who recently contributed to Experiment 12, is a platforming puzzle game made for the 7DFPS challenge, and it’s a real mindbender. This game is not about moral alignment, though it is chaotically good; no, the term “alignment” refers to the game’s central mechanic of manipulating blocks and aligning them to your physical position.



In each level, you have to reach the floating, rotating cube suspended high above you in a seemingly unreachable place. The landscape is composed of grey blocks, many of them stacked into columns of varying heights. Here and there is an orange block that you can manipulate with a mouse click. You can jump to a platform above an orange block, look down on it, and then click it to raise it to your height, forming a new column. Now you can jump on it and then reach an even higher platform. Careful block selection, and careful jumping, will get you to the previously unattainable goal.

The first-person jumping feels pretty good, and the puzzle design is exceptional. The pillars of blocks and the shadows they cast create a stark and eerie environment to explore. The percussion-heavy soundtrack by Ed Harrison is both spooky and exhilarating, and really contributes to the atmosphere.

You can play Alignment in your browser, or download standalone versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

By the way, if you enjoyed Alignment, you might want to consider paying what you want for Benn Powell’s Donor’s Bundle, which includes 14 games and bonus material.