Sony explains Linger in Shadows

Yesterday's PlayStation Network update brought with it GBP 1.99 demoscene project Linger in Shadows, and its producer Rusty Buchert has popped up on the US PlayStation Blog to explain.

The demoscene, to cut it short, is a movement of artists and programmers who make pretty "demos" that aim to explore the limits of the host system's graphics capability. As Buchert pointed out in a previous post, "The demoscene has created some amazing pieces over the years, and that is why we decided to reach out to the demoscene and see what they could do with the PlayStation 3 hardware."

Linger in Shadows isn't just a fancy video though, it's an environment and timeline of events you can explore, Buchert wrote this week, and it even has Trophies and - obligatorily given its arty basis - Sixaxis wiggle controls. "When you actually play through Linger in Shadows there are a bunch of things to think about as you explore. Roam through the timeline both forward and backward. Look beyond the frame of the picture as you see it. There are things hidden that you can play with, unlock, and even get Trophies for if you find them," he explained.

Buchert also outlined the inclusion of Trophies, despite having pointed out quite firmly that Linger in Shadows is "NOT a game". "The reason for including Trophies is that we wanted to reward the player for exploring," he wrote.

"The more exploration beyond the basics, the more you get. A lot of these are reflected through 'greets'. For those of you who don't know what greets are, they come from the demoscene. Demo groups put in call outs, or greets, to friends or other groups whose work they really respect. It is kind of like liner notes on a record album. It's a tradition of the art form that I think is cool, and it exposes you to other demoscene groups that you should check out."

This week's PS Blog post also includes screenshots and video of Linger in Shadows in action, so if you're interested by the premise, and Buchert's observations about it, that'll be the place to go to work out if GBP 1.99 seems like a fair request. We'll also bring you a review, of sorts, as soon as time permits.