Sony is really making a push for independent game development right now.  A couple of days ago, the company hosted a pub crawl that focused on independent developers working on PSN projects, and on the show floor, you can really see what kind of original games they’re shooting for here at Game Developers Conference.  Among them is Dyad, a nouveau racing/strategy game from creator Shawn McGrath that will remind you of the glory days of Tempest, even if it plays completely different.

Here’s the goal of Dyad.  You race around a circular track, one lit up with great lighting effects that keep in tone with the music.  Your goal changes with each stage, ranging from dodging enemies to “linking” together icons on the track, simply by connecting from one to another as you move along.  You can receive up to a three star rating on each track, depending on your performance.  Moving along unlocks new challenges in the game, keeping the longevity going.

Dyad has been in the works for about three years now, and every bit of effort that Shawn and his team have put into the game truly shows.  The graphics are absolutely remarkable thus far, despite the simplicity of the design.  You can really see how each musical piece plays along with the on-screen action, while at the same time using your twitch skills to locate linkable icons on the track and avoid enemies and incoming objects, such as bullets.  It really does have that classic gaming dependency going on with it, while introducing something refreshingly new at the same time.

And that music?  Definitely listenable.  Though we only played a few tracks in the game thus far, it is sheer addiction, and in a way even reflects the old Jeff Minter classic Tempest 2000 in terms of tone.  Fans of that game will definitely find a lot to relate to here.

The faster you go in each stage (depending how you link), the more ridiculously difficult it becomes, but it never gets to the point of frustration.  Dyad’s gameplay assures that there’s something to enjoy here, while at the same time providing the kind of challenge that dedicated players can truly appreciate.  And, well, we love the design.  Really.  This is the sort of game that’ll blow your doors off if you’ve got an HD set-up at your house.  Crank up that surround sound system.

Dyad should be arriving on PSN sometime this summer, and we’ll have the full review once it releases.  If you like classic game design or just want something that really shows the beauty of your PS3 (without paying, say, $60), this could very well be the game to do it.  If you’re around the GDC show floor, stop by the Sony booth and check it out.

About the Author

Robert Workman

Senior Writer/Editor

Robert has years of experience in the video game industry, writing for such sites as AOL GameDaily, PlanetXbox360 and Comic Book Resources.  He can also outdrink you any day of the week.  And twice on Sunday.  Follow him at www.twitter.com/thedcd.