2017 may just be the year for 3D platforming games. If you are looking for something simple with old-school graphics, then Super Lovely Planet is for you.
Indie game developer Quicktequila released a trailer for its newest puzzle game. The indie game is the third entry for the series, beginning with Lovely Planet then followed by Lovely Planet Arcade.
The game is coming to Windows and Mac this summer.
Third Game Means Third-Person
Super Lovey Planet ditched the first-person perspective of its predecessors to a third-person POV. It also did away with its humanoid character and replaced it with a big bouncy yellow ball. The result is a quirky game where you will control the ball and move it along, around, and across different colorful levels.
"The kind of '80s 2D platformer that got mixed reviews on its controls. Think Ghouls 'n' Goblins and Castlevania instead of Mario or Kirby," the developers said.
Finding The Right Balance
The developers claimed the game will be very simple. The only powers the ball has are jumping and rolling. Jumping will give a speed boost to the ball, but it lacks air control, while rolling is slower but more controllable and precise.
In one of its developer's blog posts, Quicktequila said the challenge lies in finding the "right balance" between carefully taking a "flawless jump" and "moving more quickly."
"A tightrope of temptation and patience" is how the developers poetically describe this jumping and rolling mechanics.
The challenge is surmounted by players when they manage to "gracefully transition between the two states" — rolling and jumping — in order to create a "sort of ebb and flow." Total control is "borrowed from crawling" and ultimately rewards player with a "short burst of quick jumps."
Classically Inspired
The developers' thoughts and feelings in their posts sound like they take from Buddhist teachings, but they are actually more inspired by Super Mario Galaxy, as written in another blog post.
The devs felt that the game is "perfect blend of wildly different platforming gimmicks." These so-called gimmicks "deliver a good variety of interesting mechanics without a dull moment of repetition."
Simpler But Longer Levels
In another post, the devs described the simplicity they put into the game design. They wrote that the game is pretty linear with a "get to the exit challenge."
"It has a start point and an end point with traps and enemies conspiring to push you back," the devs wrote in the post.
However, simpler levels mean more time for exploration and puzzle-solving, which makes each level longer. The developers say it has something to do with "crawling at a snail's pace" if the player chooses not to jump about, which adds a speed buff to the ball.
For more game updates, check out the official site (and read more Zen-like posts from the developer's blog.)
