Nom 3 from Gamevil is the sequel to Nom 1 and 2 and a new type of mobile game, featuring smoother movement than that of its predecessors. Nom travels through more than one hundred backdrops, which are comprised of different combinations of small squares. The squares move and change in various patterns and colors as if they are alive, which resemble a morphing effect.
In general, Nom 3 gives an impression of media art, and I have always tried to bring the borderlines of game and art closer. Nom 3 is a monumental game that finally merges games and art. I recognize that in some situations there may be conflicts between game and art, but I was I was thrilled to find that Nom 3 is the first offspring of the genetic synthesis of the two genres. The Nom 3 project has not been easy at all, but it has been personally meaningful; and I have been able to overcome the difficulties with LOVE.
Nom 3, Inspired by Love
The subtitle of Nom 3 is "A Beautiful but Cruel Square." I remember last Valentine's Day when female co-workers gave out meaningless Valentine chocolates to their male colleagues for the day's sake. Since I was not dating anyone at that time, I was delighted to have the chocolates and finished them right away. As I enjoyed the chocolates in my mouth I thought to myself, "Ahh, they are melting in my heart, beautifully but cruelly." That was an honest monologue slipping out, as I felt both the sweetness of chocolates and the bitterness of solitude. Right at that moment, something came across my mind: "A Beautiful but Cruel Square!" (Most low priced Korean chocolates are in a rectangular shape). All the objects in gameplay except the main character were to be designed in a square form and those squares were to be enlivened and move and dissolve in coordination. On that day, Nom 3 was born.
Nom 3 during gameplay
Beauty and Cruelty
I intended to show the beauty of media art in the form of beautiful but cruel squares. Colorful squares moving on the screen as scattering petals is quite a beautiful scene, however, Nom is hurt when he is hit by the squares. Think if Nom were in love with a cactus? It is the same logic that if Nom falls in love with a cactus and gives it a tight hug, its spines will inevitably hurt him. I don't know if all the love stories in this world are similar to this scenario, but most of them that we go through are similar. That's what makes love so precious.
The Story Blended with Love
In Nom 1, Nom traveled around the world. In Nom 2, Nom traveled through his inner self. Now he knows about the world and himself, but he is missing something: LOVE. It was love that Nom has never experienced before and this strong affection, or love, for someone is blended in the storyline. She is so beautiful but Nom can't hold her. His dream of being with her is so sweet, but the reality isn't. At the very end of the game, Nom finally meets her, but she says that she's leaving him because she loves him. Ironically, Nom is a cactus to her as she is to him, a beautiful but cruel being. Love and the agony of being in love...
