Neotenia LTD

Factsheet

Developer:
Neotenia LTD
Based in Milano, Italy

Release date:
December 7, 2015

Platforms:
PC / Mac / Linux
Obsolete WebGL Demo

Website:
volvox.xyz

Regular Price:

Description

Volvox is a puzzle game based on a triangular grid. The characters, called Trimoebas, are triangular unicellular animals undertaking the building of the first multicellular beings, traveling through the evolution. The Trimoebas bear functional properties on their sides, such glue to build, explosive to dig and hooks to climb, but these properties work only if the Trimoebas are correctly rotated: you will have to move on the right path and make the Trimoebas overstep each other to complete the mission.

History

Volvox born at the end of 2013 in the attempt to recreate a Lemmingish atmosphere in a triangular grid. In 2014 Volvox is dressed with colors and shapes inspired to an Aborigenal painting. A flexible semi-procedural background system is developed to channel all the artistic efforts in a space populated only by triangles, but organized in a large variety of structures. In April 2015 Volvox won the Microsoft National Imagine Cup, and it has been greenlit at the end of july.

Features

• The unique feature of volvox is the main mechanic, inspired to the rolling without slipping, a relationship between the path traveled and the rotation of a Trimoeba. Level surfaces and Trimoebas influence each others knotting the whole in solid enigmas.
• Joining the rolling mechanic with the 7 Trimoebas properties a large variety of situations is generated: Volvox has 250 hand-drawn levels, each with its own identity, for about 60 hours of play, achievements and stats excluded.
• Volvox is designed as mental flexibility training, inducing the player to find continuously new ways to use the resources on tap, contrasting the functional fixedness. Most of levels are in addition traps, planned to bring you to the wrong solution.
• Volvox is a game rich of triangles, eyes and curls, which returns continuously in various shapes in characters, interfaces and backgrounds, for a strongly organic result. Estetically it appears watercolor painted, alluding to cellular diffusion phenomena.
• The sounds and musics are obtained making extensive use of the cosming hang's sound. It is a recent instrument lacking of previous cultural implications, perfect to harmonize a time before the time, the time of creation.
• Mechanics of birth and reproduction are interlaced with the main game's theme transmitting an intense message of love for the life, celebrating its beauty in all its shapes, such the one of the simplest worm.

Game Name Credits

Sumero Lira
Game design, Programming, Graphics

Sara Bianchini
Chromatic project, Interfaces

Simone Pagani
Sound design

Contact

Inquiries
info@neotenia.org

Facebook
facebook.com/NeoteniaLTD

Web
neotenia.org