Peel — the protective film
Peel is a satisfying peeling game, the small, perfect moment of taking the protective film off something brand new. In the middle of the screen sits a fresh object, a lacquered plate, a sheet of iridescent glass, anodized metal, a holographic card, a vinyl record or a slab of black glass, still wrapped in its slightly cloudy film with a few trapped air bubbles and a little pull tab. Drag and the film lifts from the nearest corner, folds back over itself along a glowing crease, casts its shadow on the surface and reveals, inch by inch, a flawless gloss underneath.
How to play
Every object is wrapped in three to six films stacked on top of each other, each one different (clear, frosted, mint, printed blue, smoked, amber, ribbed, thick blue), each a little larger or shifted, with its pull tab in another corner, so you can see the stack on the edge. Drag anywhere: the film peels from the edge or corner closest to where you started, in the direction you pull. Every film you take off leaves the surface below a little clearer, until the last one reveals it perfect; a small counter next to the object shows how many layers are left, and one long drag can go on from layer to layer. The Layers button sets 3-6, 1, 3, 6 or ∞ (the films never run out). Let go and it stays half peeled; drag again to carry on, or bring it back to lay it down again. Lay it back too fast and a few tiny air bubbles stay trapped along the old fold. Pull it past the far edge and it lets go and glides off in the direction you pulled (sometimes static electricity holds it for a moment, crackling), while a sweep of light runs across the naked surface. Some objects also carry stickers to peel first. Others carry paper labels and holographic seals that peel off clean. When the object is bare, swipe it away or press Next and a new one slides in. The round buttons choose the material, Slow adds resistance and turns the peel into a slow crackling stick and slip.
Switch to Stickers for a creative break: a sheet of glossy, matte, holographic, puffy and glitter stickers sits beside a laptop lid, a notebook or a suitcase. Drag a sticker off the sheet, it resists a little, lets go and follows your finger; release it where you want it. Tap anywhere to stamp the next sticker right there. Every stuck sticker can be peeled off again: drag on it (or anywhere near it) and it lifts from the nearest corner with the same folding crease; drop it somewhere else to re-stick it, or flick it away and it glides off the screen. Peel all lifts every sticker one after another, each with a higher note. The surface fills up as you go and stays decorated for the whole session; tap the surface button again to change its color, Next brings a fresh sheet, PNG saves your work.
Why it's satisfying
Because the cloudy film and the clean surface sit side by side, and every drag moves the line between them. The slow, steady peel, the soft crackle of the adhesive, the bright crease, then the film flying off and the first clean glint: nothing to win, just the feeling of something new.
About
Peel is part of Alcy, forty free contemplative micro-games in your browser. For more tactile little pleasures: Bubble Pop, Pottery, Zen Rake.