Device6 is a playable mystery novel for iPad and iPhone

Novel app uses the iPad's game mechanics to offer a narrative that requires readers to twist, turn and zoom into the text.

Although e-reading platforms are designed to replace traditional books, the digital nature means it’s much more flexible. We’ve already seen the Black Crown interactive book enable readers to purchase each chapter with micropayments, and now Device6 is using the iPad’s game mechanics to offer a narrative that requires readers to twist, turn and zoom into the text.

Developed by Sweden’s Simogo — the team behind the popular Year Walk game — Device6 doesn’t follow the typical format of displaying text as in a book, rather it places the narrative across a 3D map that the reader has to navigate themselves. Some text is upside down, some backwards, some leads the reader round in a circle, and some isn’t revealed until a task has been completed. Much like a book, the game is mostly text and images, although its minimal style and soundtrack give the app an extra air of suspense. The spatial aspect of the text also gives readers the feeling that they’re truly exploring a physical space, rather than simply following page after page. The video below offers a taste of the app:

Device6 makes full use of the iPhone and iPad’s capabilities while remaining true to literary high standards, and is available on the App Store for USD 3.99. How else can ebooks take advantage of their digital — and therfore dynamic — nature?

Spotted by Murray Orange, written by Springwise