Ubisoft Reflections, the studio behind Grow Home, Grow Up, and Atomega, revealed and released their newest game Ode yesterday, November 27th. The puzzle-platformer is playable in the US and UK only on PC.
Check out the announcement/release trailer below:
In a blog post put out by Ubisoft, the publisher describes Ode more as an experience than a game. It also emphasizes that Ode is all about the music. In this game/experience, you control a flubber-looking blob named Joy who traverses across four different worlds creating music as it moves along and interacts with the environment.
The main mechanic in Ode seems to be the act of making music. There are no enemies to kill or scores to aim for in Ode's main mode, according to the blog post. The developers instead want you to simply explore each of their four worlds, creating a symphony based on your actions and preferences. In the post, producer Anne Langourieux describes the game as a “musical exploration where you gradually bring a world to life through music and light.”
Another interesting thing to note about Ode is the fact that the game will have no in-game hints, HUD, or objective markers. The developers are also limiting the amount of instructions found in the game, saying that they would rather the players come across things organically than simply telling them where to look.
The game features four main worlds to explore, each with its own unique style and soundtrack. These four worlds are Naivety, Excitement, Desire and Pure Joy.
After exploring all four worlds, a bonus level opens up in Ode. For those who aren't completely satisfied with just exploration, this mode will offer a bit more bite. This is a time attack mode with enemies to fight and a score to chase. However, the blog post describes it as a 90-second challenge, so it's doubtful that this is as substantial a mode as the rest of Ode.
Ode is available now in the United States and United Kingdom on PC for $5 and £4.49 respectively.