Dufferin native’s FRACTER vying for world gaming crown

Written By JASEN OBERMEYER

Dufferin native Coulter Baker was the game and level designer for FRACTER, a mobile game recently released on iOS and Android which is the sole Canadian game among six indie games nominated for Fan Favourite at the Game Development World Championship (GDWC).

Developed by 4L Games, FRACTER is described as “a perilous quest for light through a cryptic labyrinth of shadows.” It is an isometric puzzle adventure game “set in a mysterious labyrinth of glowing black architecture,” where the young hero “has set out on a perilous quest to dispel the darkness within.” Players must explore this “world of shadows, discover secrets hidden in the dark, and outsmart ominous creatures while solving each meticulously designed puzzle using their only force against darkness: light.”

Mr. Baker, 24, a native of Riverview who now lives in Toronto, is a graduate of Sheridan College's Game Design Program, and took just under a year for him to work on the game. “I'm very happy that the game has turned out well.”

He added that it feels great helping to design a game given his young age, and says he is really looking forward to the future.

Asked what he liked most about the game and the process behind its development, Mr. Baker explained that he enjoys the unique art style, presentation, “and the way it meshed together with the mechanics.”

According to its website, the GDWC “is an annual competition for indie game developers, game development students and anyone interested in game development to join in.” The event happens online for the most part, “with the finalists from the Pro and Hobby track brought to Finland and Sweden to visit the game companies.”

The son of famed magician Steve Baker and journalist Marni Walsh said he has been a big fan of games his while life, and likes them because they are an interactive medium. “Games are unique, because unlike movies or books, games are one of the only art mediums that require the user to interact. It's a really interesting feel for expression.”

He added that he likes games in particular that “create vary gameplay each time they're played,” with different elements that create diverse experiences that change each time.  “You get a lot more value out of that in the long run.”

The other five games in the world competition are Haimrik, from Below The Game, Colombia; Hand of Fate 2 from Australia's Defiant Development; Smile'N'Slide by Mykhail Konokh, Ukraine; Songbringer from Wizard_fu, USA, and Suicide Guy by Chubby Pixel, Italy.

To vote for FRACTER, and for more information, visit https://thegdwc.com.

For more information on the game, and on 4L Games, visit www.fractergame.com and www.4lgames.com respectively.