Dabbling With… Becalm

The third episode of a short series on games I discovered at EGX Rezzed 2019.

Down in the Leftfield Collection were a number of “chillout” games whose job was to make you take a moment. The one that I found resonated the most was Becalm (Colorfiction, 2018). I would guess I sat in front of it longer than most – because it was frickin’ lovely.

If you want to know whether there’s levelling up, how many bosses you have to beat and the range of weapon combos available, well. You’re in a boat. You can look around. That’s it.

The boat coasts lazily through one of three environments: tall reeds, alongside a river bank and an ice field. The abstract, painterly style selects from a vivid colour palette. which gives a strong impression but refuses to define. It reminds me a little of Eskil Steenberg’s Love. The music and ambient sounds do a great job in transporting you somewhere else.

Becalm strikes me as the kind of thing you could leave running in the corner of the room while you go about your daily tasks. Try it.

From the blurb on Colorfiction’s website:

Becalm is a short 5 minute meditative experience where you drift in a sailboat through magical waters. This is a special boat, you won’t have to steer, worry about logistics, capsizing or pirates. In this trip the goal is to relax and… becalm!

You can download Becalm from Steam for free but also get it from itch (PWYW). You can also follow colorfiction on Twitter. (Current version on Steam has some VHS filter applied and you can throw bottles; I think it’s better without the filter… and the bottles. This was not the version on the Rezzed floor.)

Interested in other games I’ve dabbled with? Check out the series index!