Mondrian - Plastic Reality keeps me bouncing back for more

I don’t usually write about older games here at TNT, not because I don’t want to, but because there are so many new and upcoming indie games that deserve attention. Sometimes, though, I feel compelled to make an exception, and that’s the case with Mondrian - Plastic Reality. 

Mondrian - Plastic Reality is a brick-breaking game from Lantana Games that was released way back in 2020 (some good things did come out of that year, it seems). It takes the well-loved mechanics of the genre and throws in some fascinating art history. Apparently, it also challenges my brain to figure out its left from its right in ways it sometimes fails to comprehend. 

Based in reality

It’s been a long time since I studied art at A-Level, but it’s difficult to forget Mondrian and his now-famous primary color block paintings, most notably Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow. But Mondrian’s art journey began with impressionistic landscapes, long before the abstract pieces that most people now know. 

Playing Plastic Reality feels like stepping into a biopic of the early career of a legend. It’s a part of his life that is far less remembered than perhaps it deserves to be, considering everything he did led to him creating some of the most iconic art pieces of the 20th century. It feels like a timely reminder that everything we do leads us somewhere, but maybe I’m thinking too deeply there. 

Challenge or chill, you decide

Mondrian - Plastic Reality feels like a juxtaposition; it looks like it should be simple, but for me, there’s an apparent disconnect in my brain between left and right when it comes to circular movement that makes it really difficult for me to put my bouncy pad in the right place to catch the ball before it goes flying off the edge of the screen into nothingness. But as with most good things, just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean I don’t want to keep trying.  

But Plastic Reality has accessibility options that seem perfectly designed for people like me, whose brains work (or don’t work, depending on how you look at it) this way. Once I lowered the game speed to slow and started playing each level on Relaxing mode, things turned around, and I’m not just talking about the bounce pad. 

Suddenly, instead of constantly panicking about which direction I was supposed to go, I had time to do full circles of the grid before my ball ever reached the other side, even if there was nothing for it to bounce on. I finally had the time to figure out that collecting gems made the pad bigger, and what began as a challenge turned into a hypnotic form of relaxation.  

The downside is that if you miss the ball and it flies past the outer edge, you have to watch it slowly disappear before the level ends. That’s a trade I’m willing to make, though.

Create it, then break it

While the main story of Plastic Reality focuses on Piet and his history with art, you also have the opportunity to make something of your own and let your creativity flow in Mondrian Maker. This mode gives you a blank canvas and everything you need to build your own masterpiece of a level.

Admittedly, staring at a blank virtual canvas can feel overwhelming if you’re not the creative type, but chances are you are if you’re playing Plastic Reality in the first place. Even if you don't want to painstakingly craft a work of art and would rather throw things down just to see how the level plays, Mondrian Maker gives you the tools to experiment with your own designs.  

Whether you build your own designs or play through those that form part of the story, Plastic Reality is a brickbreaker at its core, which means the ultimate aim is to clear the board. It’s oddly therapeutic, watching the blocks disappear from the screen one at a time as your ball bounces around, even more so when you manage to get a perfectly aimed bounce using the outer pad.

Changes in real time

I love it when games add little easter eggs, and no easter egg is better than a time-based one. Plastic Reality has multiple seasonal additions that appear throughout the year, including a festive in-game advent calendar that appears around Christmas. And, in a stroke of luck, I’m writing this at the right time because October 1 happens to bring a seasonal in-game change that makes my fall-loving heart very happy. 

On October 1, the main menu changes to feature delightfully seasonal falling leaves, but the changes aren’t just cosmetic. There’s a whole new game mode, Spooky Gem Hunt, that has you collecting gems before going double or nothing between rounds for either a trick or a treat.

My usual fall celebration includes watching Over the Garden Wall again and planning the jack-o'-lanterns with my daughter. Then the blankets come out in preparation for the colder months ahead. Now I can add Plastic Reality to that list of annual traditions that mark the beginning of fall. 

Bouncing back for more

It’s difficult for me to put my finger on exactly what about Plastic Reality keeps me coming back for more. There’s nostalgia in its brick-breaking gameplay, but with a fun, mind-bending twist. My love of art certainly plays a part too, especially with the memories captured on canvas by influential people. Or perhaps it’s simply a fun experience that doesn’t require too much logical thinking outside of figuring out which way to go. 

Whatever the reason, Mondrian - Plastic Reality draws me in like a moth to a flame, even if it’s just for one level to catch a break from the heaviness of life. Like the ball, I keep bouncing back for more. 

You can get Mondrian - Plastic Reality now on Steam, and it’s well worth the price if you want something to occupy your mind while simultaneously inspiring you to create your own work of art, whatever format that may take. There's also a "Free Admission" demo available to try!