Portal Lead Kim Swift Reveals First-Person Puzzler Quantum Conundrum

The next game from Portal and Left 4 Dead lead Kim Swift and developer Airtight Games has been revealed at the PAX Prime expo, and is set to be released in early 2012. Quantum Conundrum, as revealed by GameSpot, is a first-person puzzler that sees players switching between dimensions to solve a series of rooms in a mad scientist's laboratory. Using the Interdimensional Shift Device -- or ISD, for short -- the idea is to install batteries that give access to specific dimensions, and then use the properties of the separate dimensions to bypass obstacles. For example, a "fluffy dimension" makes heavy objects lighter, allowing the player to pick up and position items that previously could not be moved. A slow-motion dimension can also be used to bring moving objects down to a crawl, at which point the player can position themselves in any preferred manner. As revealed earlier in the week, the game will be published by Square Enix. Many more dimensions are promised, with around four to six hours of play in total. The game will be released next year for PC, Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Kim Swift was formerly a designer of Valve's acclaimed first-person platformer Portal, and left the Half-Life creator at the end of 2009 to build up a new team at nearby Dark Void developer Airtight Games.