Mantis Games has released a brand new developer diary for their upcoming B&W artistic video game Journey for Elysium showcasing the gameplay mechanics. This is the second video released by the developers in a series of behind-the-scenes looks at the game. The latest video focuses on the mechanics and shows the process behind integrating technical features and design elements.
These include motion control gameplay as well as levels in the game and how they were formed and integrated. The video also shows us the moment-to-moment challenges that programmers and designers face while crafting the best possible experience for the player. The developers detail some of the in-game mechanics such as rowing and using the bow and arrow.
Players will be using the boat quite often to move around in the game and thus making this mechanic as real as possible in VR is a real challenge. Using the bow and arrow appears to be a very simple process for the player but developing the mechanic and making it perfect in VR takes a lot of time and hard work. The developer also shares some views about the production of the game and how they developed and tested the prototype in VR.
You can check out the brand-new developer diary below.
Along with the brand new video, a new blog post is also live on Mantis Games’ website which acts as a companion to the video. The blog post details everything that the developers went through while developing the game from the prototype to the final version of the game. The developers share some of the problems that they faced and the biggest one for them was to counter the aspect of motion sickness while playing a VR game.
For countering motion sickness, it is very important that the objects are of the right size in the game and sometimes they would appear too big or too small which would trigger motion sickness. This is a very common aspect in VR games as players are unable to feel like they are present in a world that makes sense when such glitches happen to cause them to suffer from motion sickness.
Journey for Elysium features water levels where players are on the water in a boat and rowing it to move ahead. This setting is the most common one in which people feel motion sickness in real life so special attention had to be given to make this mechanic as perfect as possible so that the game would try to offer the most authentic boating experience and not increase the chances of the player suffering from motion sickness.
Journey for Elysium is a story-driven VR game that is heavily inspired by ancient mythology. The game features a very unique art style as the game is in a Black and White world which is essentially the Underworld. Players step in the shoes of an unnamed hero who has passed away and must travel through the Underworld to reach Elysium and obtain redemption. The path is not easy for the hero but he must conquer all obstacles in his path.
You can also check out the first developer diary shared by Mantis Games which shared the inspiration behind the game and how developers got the idea to develop the game. Key features of Journey for Elysium are:
- Puzzles: Journey for Elysium brings back the excitement of classic adventures games of the ’90s and revamps them for a new era. Solve an increasingly complex range of puzzles, challenges, and tests to move the story forward.
- A lot to discover: immerse yourself in a rich world, grounded between history and myth. Explore breathtaking environments and unravel surprising facts of the Classical antiquity. Connect with your senses to this VR storytelling experience.
- Mechanics: travel on the river Styx and explore the underworld with the rowing mechanic, the most important traveling method in the game. This natural way of transportation is also very comfortable and immersive.
- Two modes: when you are not rowing, you can experience two different ways of moving around thanks to the Comfort or Immersive modes.
- Art style: enjoy the black and white art style inspired by the paintings of Gustave Doré. The high contrast art style fits best in recreating the desired atmosphere of the underworld. In addition, you will find golden highlights here and there, which will guide you further along the way.
For more about Journey for Elysium, check out our coverage of the gameplay trailer, developer diary sharing the inspiration behind the game, launch trailer, release date announcement, developer diary showcasing the game’s unique visuals, and video detailing the game’s lore.
Journey for Elysium is slated for release in Q4 2019 on Steam for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift VR systems.
