Developed by relatively unknown studio, Ex Nihilo and published by Plug In Digital and the TV-channel ARTE France, Type:Rider is an educational platformer about the history of type fonts. The game is an interactive documentary in its purest form, giving you dozens of history lessons while you traverse the artsy, fontsy worlds. You are a colon travelling through history, encountering fonts like Gothic, Times and Helvetica along the way – prepare for some stylish, interactive education.
So why would you travel back through the history of fonts and buy Type:Rider?
- Because the developer has managed to create nine different, beautiful worlds that all do their respective fonts justice.
- Because the game gets gradually harder as you progress, and you should expect to actually retry a few times towards the end of the game.
- Because its educational value is something to appreciate. This really is an interactive learning experience that history teachers should take into consideration. In addition to the origin of the fonts, the game sheds some light on the political or religious background as well.
The worlds of fonts are very different from each other. Especially the ‘Futura’ world really shakes things up.
Why wouldn’t you buy Type:Rider?
- Because the controls tend to make the game challenging in the wrong ways and end up being downright frustrating.
- Because the game is short, and you’ll most likely never play it again upon finishing it.
SHOULD you buy Type:Rider?
First off, let me make it clear that this game really blurs the line between being a game and being something entirely different. It’s a yes from here because of the art style and the interesting and alternative journey through history – but if you’re looking for a true game experience, you should spend your money elsewhere.
WHY WOULD YOU BUY? 