Best apps of August 2011: Contre Jour

Contre Jour
(Developed by Mokus)
Available for: iOS
Price: 99 cents

Inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince and rooted in shadowy, black-and-white dreamscapes evoking Eastern European animation masters like Jiri Trnka and Karel Zeman, Contre Jour exists somewhere between puzzle games and interactive art. And while it recalls elements of hit mobile titles ranging from Angry Birds to World of Goo, its imaginative gameplay experience and lush, immersive environment stand alone.

Gamers don't control Petit, Contre Jour's enigmatic, one-eyed hero--they manipulate and shape the world around him, leveraging the iOS touchscreen to transform the landscape and propel the creature to the next stage. The puzzles get tougher and the settings get more surreal with each successive level as Petit navigates through tendrils, geysers and pulleys to reach the glowing blue light, signaling the completion of each challenge.

Contre Jour begins with the credit "Directed by Maksym Hryniv," and its cinematic allusions are justified--the graphics are luminous, the animations are graceful and composer David Ari Leon's orchestral score is deeply affecting. But while Contre Jour may aspire to high art, it never loses sight of its fundamental raison d'être: It's a game and it's a damn good one, challenging enough to keep players engrossed but not so sadistically difficult that they'll give up in frustration and never return. In short, Contre Jour is an instant classic, and a potent reminder of the limitless creative possibilities the mobile platform affords.