Bioframe Outpost Evokes Classic Console Game Charms – Xbox Wire

Hi everybody, I’m Rudolf Kremers, director of Omni Systems Ltd, purveyor of strange games and theories. Some of you might have played my Eufloria games, or played games I consulted on. I am delighted to get the chance to talk about our upcoming game Bioframe Outpost, out now in Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.

Console Magic Dust

Releasing a game on console will always be special to me. While I love PC and Mobile gaming, and have proudly released games to those platforms in the past, there is something truly magical about seeing your game’s splash screen load onto a nice, big tv, powered by a dedicated gaming console. It’s a feeling that just can’t be beat.

With Bioframe Outpost we kept that console magic firmly in focus. 

While Bioframe Outpost is a thoroughly modern game with replayability and polished controls and juice and onboarding experience and all that jazz, some elements are meant to celebrate the qualities of classic games that have oodles that console magic.

Let’s Put it in the Frame

My favourite aspect of console gaming is when games bring something genuinely fresh to the party. There was a period in console gaming, before dev budgets exploded in order to keep up with the 3d rendering arms race, when console games routinely innovated. Risk-taking was not yet stifled, and experienced teams still tried to woo players with things they hadn’t seen before.

The Oddworld series did this in spades, with the talking bug-based ammo in Stranger’s Wrath, or the mind control mechanic in Abe’s Odyssey. This quality was seen in titles big and small – Halo: Combat Evolved, Rez, Metal Gear Solid, GTA, Tetris, Virtua Fighter, all iconic games and big hits, but it is easy to forget how innovative they were at the time.

In Bioframe Outpost we tried to innovate by giving players a bunch of a-typical gameplay tools with which players can generate almost endless gameplay outcomes – often with hilarious unintended results.

Camera

Central to this aim is the player’s mega powerful Camera/PDA combo. The camera can photograph specific creature behaviours, like eating, fleeing, recharging, attacking, and many more. Each time you do so successfully – which can be hard and dangerous – you unlock super useful PDA files  regarding that behaviour. (Knowledge is power)

Also, for each photographed state, the camera-induced stun effect increases in duration. With that knowledge and added stun control, you can pit creatures against each other, or find other ways to manipulate the game’s extremely deep and detailed ecosystem.

Lure a giant Rainbow Wasp with its favourite food into a Spider Hunter’s habitat, and watch ‘em duke it out. Rob a Laser Plant of its Sticky Glow Orb (don’t worry, it will regrow) and skillfully throw and stick it to a dark cave dwelling Lizard. Drive it before you and voila: an illuminating scout runs ahead of you to spot any dangers lurking in the dark.

Because the game’s ecosystem is deep and complex, and creatures and things react to each other in many different ways, things get enjoyably emergent.

Since you need to get out there and put yourself in a position where you can photograph these creature behaviours safely, a fundamentally satisfying risk .vs reward element is integrated in the core gameplay loop.

That gameplay loop is a classical positive feedback loop: where new knowledge (and stun power) unlocks more and more tools to discover even more ways to manipulate your environment. Exploration and experimentation are completely integrated into the experience in a meaningful way.

It’s super fun, and often challenging. (Ever tried to photograph an enraged Giant Rainbow Wasp?). Other strange tools throw even more wildcards into the mix. (Seriously, the Fire Extinguisher allows for some crazy antics).

Other Console Magics

Innovation is one thing, but we also love how classic console games always tried to make sure that players could really lose themselves in the experience for long durations. It’s not like modern mobile games that can be finished in very little time, and there was no multiplayer to keep the experience fresh through interaction with other users. 

With Bioframe Outpost we made sure the game is “biiiiiig” and replayable, and fun to watch for other people. We wanted to make sure that people can settle on their couch, and really lose themselves in the world.

The world of Bioframe is not just deep in its gameplay systems and ecology, but also, filled with tons of secrets, missions, side missions, Easter Eggs, narrative oddities, in-jokes, hommages, and an almost endless freedom to just play around and experiment with the dynamic elements of the world.

Controls are designed for joypad from the first day of development, and the game takes full advantage of the analog feedback they offer.

Oh, and the game is child and adult friendly, doesn’t include guns or other explicit weapons, and requires a large dose of lateral thinking. Ideal to play with friends and family members of all ages.

The latter point is possibly the most important. Some of our favourite games are those that generate unique stories that we want to share with others. Memories of epic, fun sessions, and a sense of wonder about the strangely beautiful things console games can achieve.

We can’t wait to hear your stories about Bioframe Outpost, and hope that it will generate many new ones for years to come.