Bioframe Outpost is reminiscent of the charm of classic console games

Hello everyone, I’m Rudolf Kremers, director of Omni Systems Ltd, purveyor of strange games and theories. Some of you may have played mine Eufloria Games or games played that I have consulted on. I’m really happy to have the opportunity to talk about our upcoming game Bioframe Outpostnow available for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.

Console magic dust

For me, releasing a game on console will always be special. While I love PC and mobile gaming and have proudly published games on these platforms in the past, there’s something truly magical about seeing your game’s splash screen load onto a nice, big TV powered by a dedicated gaming console. It’s a feeling that just can’t be beat.

With Bioframe Outpost We kept the console magic firmly in focus.

While Bioframe Outpost is a thoroughly modern game with high replay value, polished controls, juiciness and onboarding experience and all that jazz. Some elements are intended to celebrate the qualities of classic games that have tons of console magic.

Let’s put it into context

My favorite part of console gaming is when games bring something really fresh to the party. There was a time in console gaming, before developer budgets exploded to keep up with the 3D rendering arms race, when console games innovated on a regular basis. Risk-taking had not yet been suppressed and experienced teams were still trying to woo players with things they hadn’t seen before.

The Oddworld The series has done this in abundance, with the talking bug-based ammunition The Stranger’s Wrathor the mind control mechanic in Abe’s odyssey. This quality could be seen in titles big and small – Halo: Combat Evolved, Rec, Metal Gear Solid, GTA, Tetris, Virtual fighterall iconic games and big hits, but it’s easy to forget how innovative they were back in the day.

In Bioframe Outpost We’ve tried to innovate by giving players a range of atypical gameplay tools that allow players to achieve near-endless gameplay outcomes – often with hilarious unintended results.

camera

Central to this goal is the player’s powerful camera/PDA combination. The camera can photograph certain behaviors of living beings, such as eating, fleeing, charging, attacking and much more. Each time you succeed in doing this – which can be difficult and dangerous – you unlock extremely useful PDA files related to this behavior. (Knowledge is power)

Additionally, the duration of the camera’s stunning effect increases with each condition photographed. With this knowledge and additional stun control, you can pit creatures against each other or find other ways to manipulate the game’s extremely deep and detailed ecosystem.

Lure a giant rainbow wasp into a spider hunter’s habitat with its favorite food and watch them compete against each other. Strip a laser plant of its sticky flare (don’t worry, it’ll grow back) and deftly toss and stick it to a dark, cave-dwelling lizard. Drive it in front of you and voila: a glowing scout runs ahead of you to spot any dangers lurking in the dark.

Because the game’s ecosystem is deep and complex, and creatures and things react to each other in different ways, things emerge in fun ways.

Because you have to go out and put yourself in a position to photograph the behavior of these creatures securea fundamentally satisfying risk-versus-reward element, is built into the core gameplay loop.

This gameplay loop is a classic positive feedback loop: new knowledge (and stunning power) unlocks more and more tools to discover even more ways to manipulate your environment. Exploration and experimentation are fully integrated into the experience in a meaningful way.

It’s a lot of fun and often a challenge. (Have you ever tried to photograph an angry giant rainbow wasp?). Other strange tools throw even more wildcards into the mix. (Seriously, the fire extinguisher allows for some crazy antics).

Other console magic

Innovation is one thing, but we also love the way classic console games have always aimed to give players the opportunity to really immerse themselves in the experience over a longer period of time. It’s not like modern mobile games that you can complete in a very short time, and there was no multiplayer to keep the experience fresh through interaction with other users.

With Bioframe Outpost We made sure the game was like that ““biiiiiiiig” and repeatable, and it’s fun to watch other people. We wanted to make sure people could settle into their couch and really lose themselves in the world.

The world of Bioframe is not only deep in its gameplay systems and ecology, but is also full of secrets, missions, side missions, Easter eggs, narrative curiosities, jokes, homages, and a near-endless freedom to just play around and experiment with the dynamic elements of the world.

The controls have been designed for the joypad from day one of development and the game takes full advantage of the analog feedback they provide.

Oh, and the game is suitable for children and adults, contains no guns or other explicit weaponry, and requires a large amount of lateral thinking. Ideal for playing with friends and family members of all ages.

The last point is perhaps the most important. Some of our favorite games are those that generate unique stories that we want to share with others. Memories of epic, fun sessions and a sense of wonder at the strangely beautiful things console gaming can do.

We can’t wait to hear your stories Bioframe outpostand hope that this will create many new ones in the coming years.