What Even Is V on Steam?

If you’ve been paying attention to some of Steam’s recent under-the-radar releases, you might have noticed a game titled simply V. Looking at the screenshots, it’s not immediately apparent how it works, as there only seems to be a white screen with the names of colors flashing by. Confusion likely only mounts upon reading the game’s description:

You are a gifted child

You will switch through every channel on the planet

The game does, however, have a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, and is free to play — so we took a look at what V actually is and found it to be a pretty fun game.

The gameplay in V is simple. The screen will show you the name of a color, with the text also colored. If the text and its color match, you click left. If they don’t, you click right. The simple premise conceals a devious design that is pretty much guaranteed to mess with your head: You’re racing a time limit, so you have very little time to decide which button to press. It’s far easier than it sounds to slip up — and that’s even before the game starts throwing curveballs at you like tinting the screen to obscure your vision, scrambling the letters of the word, or even inverting your controls.

The game’s at its best when everything is fast-paced and you’re scrambling to click the right button as quickly as possible. In this way, it’s somewhat reminiscent of rhythm games like Audiosurf, with its minimalist art style and controls. But where rhythm games test your physical reflexes, V is all about straining your mental muscles.

The game also has a great aesthetic, with trippy music and a menu that looks like an old TV. And just wait until you hear the achievement noise for reaching North America.

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It’s true that there isn’t too much content in V — I was able to beat the “story mode” (if it can be called that) in under an hour — but there are enough secrets and enough replay value to keep you coming back for more. And seeing as it’s completely free, it’s impossible to argue that it’s overpriced. 

So if you’re looking for a fun way to kill some time — or you just want to be imbued with a deep-seated hatred for cyan — you should definitely give it a try.

(Warning: You should not play this game if you have or are prone to epilepsy.)