Jump to content
Create New...

PSBlog Feed: Opposites Attract in Degrees of Separation, Out February 14 on PS4


Recommended Posts

Valentine’s Day is a time for couples to come together and express their love for one another. For duo Ember and Rime however, an enigmatic force resulting from their contrasting control of hot and cold keeps them separated. Together, yet apart, they will explore evolving landscapes as they seek to understand the fate of their polarized worlds.

A story about togetherness, Degrees of Separation is a cooperative adventure tailored for two. Featuring dual protagonists, players will control both characters simultaneously in solo play or separately in co-op. Each protagonist wields the ability to transform their surroundings based on the power they wield, and when used in conjunction with their partner, will create a myriad of effects that will be vital for our duo to overcome obstacles and solve puzzles.

Degrees of Separation

The Design Process

Games are experiences, and experiences tend to be less impactful the more I’m exposed to similar ones. If an idea is too much alike other games that I know of, I will usually reject it. This inevitably transferred into my puzzle designs, where I was constantly searching for new ideas to show players. When designing Degrees of Separation, I had some rules in mind to measure how our ideas fit within the game.

Firstly, all the game’s mechanics needed to work on a thematic level both in regard to the temperature properties of the protagonists as well as the narrative structure about relationships. Secondly, each world needed to expand the possibility of what our duo is capable of and each effect had to be as visually striking as the last. Finally, the entirety of the gameplay experience needed to feel fresh from start to finish — which for me was the most daunting part of development. The possibilities for interesting scenarios were present with each world’s mechanic, I just had to discover them. Ideas for challenges started to materialize but only after a significant time investment in each world as I studied and came to understand each mechanic in depth.

The Evolution of Degrees of Separation’s Worlds

The first world that players will discover also served as the foundation for the entire game. The initial prototype was created in less than seven days as an entrant in a contest where “temperature” was the theme. I really liked the contrast of warm and cold and was thinking of how to best demonstrate that. Splitting the screen in two was the solution I came up with. The game won that contest.

As we continued development, we realized the number of possibilities for fun and innovative challenges that result from the ability to control contrasting temperatures. For example, during playtests an individual assumed that the sharp line that separates the two protagonists on screen was one that was solid and could be walked on. This idea eventually became the central gameplay mechanic for the second world we developed.

Degrees of Separation

In the end not every idea made it into the final product, however the culmination of the very best gameplay concepts and a story by fantasy author Chris Avellone (Fallout New Vegas, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords) make up the DNA of Degrees of Separation. Whether you choose to experience it together in co-op or on your own, I hope it warms your heart when it launches on Valentine’s Day.

TlY4GkfyYVs

View the full article

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

Military including Active, Reserve, Veteran and Dependents get 50% off of our Spec Ops Premium Experience

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By visiting this site you agree to our Privacy Policy and We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search