written by Tom Midgley Black blobs in tree tops, reforming and platforming in InopsInops is a puzzle based 2D side scroller. The aim of the game is to stay alive and guide all the Inops through each level. There are lots of traps/ways to die, puzzles, and even other Inops waiting to be awoken within each level to add to your numbers! At this year’s EGX convention I went with a mission. A mission to do more than just play the demos, grab the freebies and drool all over Star Wars Battlefront 2. For once I wanted to actually speak to some of the developers behind the games I played. Now I know, this is completely unheard of and uncalled for, gamers are supposed to be quiet shut-ins or foul-mouthed mass murderers, (I've read the incredibly accurate and unbiased print media). But at the ‘Rezzed’ Area of EGX were some of the best and brightest indie games in the biz, and chatting with the folks behind the titles there was by far the best and most rewarding thing I got to do. The first game I got my grubby mits on was the buoyant and fantastical platformer Inops. Not only did I get to play this before its tentative release of Spring 2018 BUT I actually got chance to speak to developer Nasar Hasshu about what went into the game's conception and what pluggable features mean you should play it. So without further ado let me introduce the first Plug & Play hands-on preview and developer interview with what is likely to be a game featured on this site when released. That game is ZRZ Studio’s Inops. "with a minimal UI, there’s a nice focus on the intricate level design and puzzle-solving" Right off the bat what strikes you about Inops, is that which always sells an indie game for me. Art and animation. Inops brings the silhouetted aesthetic of LIMBO to the fluid platforming of Rayman creating a blend of cell-shaded elements and detailed backdrops. It easily presents the player with interactive objects, obstacles and enemies without crowding the screen or interfering with the user interface. But with a minimal UI, there’s a nice focus on the intricate level design and puzzle-solving that peppered the demo I tumbled through. Inops = If LIMBO cheered up and Rayman lent it some paints. And tumbling is precisely how you play Inops being a fuzzy little black blob and all. The aim being to gather Inops, little black Ghibli-sprites, and lump them together to stay alive and guide them through each level. With the ability to gather up Inops into one large blob, you can take on larger enemies and interact with more items. But unfortunately, just like with all the best playgrounds, you’ll be too big to make it through other areas. The demo I got to play introduced the changing between blobby states but also made sure to focus on the interactive puzzle-solving. Namely, the winches, bouncing pads and levers that need to be manipulated to get through the level. These are what presented the most complexity to the levels and showed that ZRZ are comfortable augmenting the tried and tested platforming elements with additional features. Selecting the items seemed easy and I was eager to tackle more head-scratching contraptions at later stages.
But that's just my opinion, there's no way of actually confirming that this was their intention. To do that I'd have to have asked them to their face. So I did. I did one of them interviews what real journalists do. And it went a little like this...
If you'd like to stay up to date on Inops or the other games ZRZ Studios have developed, head over to their site, follow them @ZRZStudio or like their Facebook page.
More EGX coverage will be coming with more previews, reviews and interviews as I keep plugging so you keep playing.
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Tom MidgleyI play, design and write about games when I'm not hoping for someone to pay me to do these things. Archives
October 2017
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