Squidbeam Games - Twobit Odyssey Presskit

Factsheet

Developer:
Squidbeam Games
Based in San Francisco Bay Area, USA

Release Dates:
Gear VR (November 22, 2017)
Oculus Go (October 25, 2018)
Oculus Rift (TBD)

Platforms:
Gear VR
Oculus Go
Oculus Rift (TBD)

Website:
squidbeamgames.com/twobitodyssey

Press/Business contact:
squidbeam@gmail.com

Description

Twobit Odyssey is an unique VR puzzle-platform game based on the award-nominated game Twobit released by Squidbeam Games in 2016. Only using their gaze or a VR Controller, players control a little robot in a strange world, helping him tackle problems and puzzles, and ultimately unravel the mysteries of his origin.

Twobit awakens in a dark and mysterious place. But he is not alone. He sees you. You are his guide. When he asks for direction, look around the room and find a location for him to explore. When he finds a button, nod your head in agreement to activate it. Need to see what lurks in the dark? Activate the Twobit Vision and see the world through his eyes. But who is Twobit and, most importantly, who are you? Are you a figment of his imagination?

History

Twobit Odyssey is the brainchild of Laurent Kermel, an award-winning Visual Effect artist and founder of Squidbeam Games. The game initially started as a Virtual Reality experiment designed to explore ways for players to intuitively control a character and build a relationship between them. The game is technically a hybrid that mixes first and third person views, and it's unique gaze control system and gameplay mechanics were designed to always give the player a feeling of in-game presence and immersion.

Twobit Odyssey is based on Twobit, another VR game released for free by Squidbeam Games for the Gear VR on the Oculus Store on October 19th 2016. The game featured one level and was designed to assess players' interest in Twobit's unique control system and gameplay. The game hit 70,000+ downloads within a few months and received excellent feedback (Twobit was even nominated at the 13th IMGA awards). After such praise, Kermel decided to start production on Twobit Odyssey, a full-on game starring the little robot Twobit and telling his unique adventures.

From inception, Twobit Odyssey was designed to be an interactive VR experience and special attention was given to its unique gaze control system. The player doesn't move around the world - he or she explores their surroundings through the little robot named Twobit. Every feature of the gameplay was carefully designed and integrated to be an effortless extension of the user, and for Twobit and the player to ultimately connect and work together. Additionally, everything in the game was created to effectively prevent motion sickness, including the unique design of the little robot Twobit - for instance, when he rolls, his head collapses back inside his body and players can't see what the robot sees, thus preventing them to feel dizzy. Twobit was carefully crafted to safely get around the limitations caused by motion sickness in ways that always give the player a feeling of immersion within a believable and coherent world.

Features

Eight mind-bending levels
Twobit Odyssey features eight mind-bending levels, four different environments and four breathtaking bosses, totalling hours of gameplay.

Unique control system
Players control Twobit only using their gaze via the VR headset. No need for a controller - players make choices by nodding "yes" in agreement, or shaking their heads for "No". The gaze control system uses a novel approach and analyses the player's field of vision. Proprietary algorithms then decide of what the player is most likely looking at.

Designed to inhibit motion sickness
Twobit Odyssey was especially designed to prevent motion sickness, one of the main issues with first-person VR games. Special attention was given to the motion system; for instance the Twobit Vision is not available when Twobit is rolled into a ball and is therefore moving, thus preventing the player to feel dizzy.

Immersive 3D sound
Sound design plays a major role in Twobit Odyssey. This allows players to know exactly where Twobit and other events are located in space without needing to always look directly at Twobit or the action. These techniques are especially important in creating a believable sense of immersion to the game.

Release Trailer

Download Twobit Odyssey trailer as .mp4 (1280x720, 95.2MB)

Screenshots

PC version - screenshots

Download all screenshot images as .zip (3.63MB)

All screenshots are 1728x1080 - please contact us if you need higher resolutions.

Gear VR & Oculus Go versions - screenshots

Download all Gear VR & Oculus Go screenshot images as .zip (2.14 MB)

All screenshots are 1728x1080 - please contact us if you need higher resolutions.