Via: Totem Learning
Totem Learning,
object of my prior post Totem Learning Makes Bespoke Serious Games More Accessible To All, are about to blur
the
barriers between Serious and Commercial Games, demonstrating it is perfectly
possible to build a Serious Game that is both Casual and Social.
Their first
cross over game, The Phoenix Project, is focused on problem solving and human interaction and is
designed for people who want to play games but are daunted by the endless hours
of investment required.
The Phoenix Project is a competitive and collaborative social puzzle game for the iPad where players are grouped into teams of 4 and must leverage the skills of fellow players for their own benefit; everyone has their own goal but only through cooperation will anyone win the game.
As players go through the game, Totem Play (Totem Learning’s new division) will be tracking their decision making and problem solving strategies to provide detailed feedback to them and their competitors/team mates. They’ll give players an insight into the workings of their own mind. So they intend to bridge the gap between entertainment and Serious Games.
The project is live on Kickstarter now at
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2118110887/phoenix-project-who-shall-rise and they are looking for backers.
A Game That Is More About the Mind Than Anything Else
About the Phoenix Project
Originally designed
as a Serious Game with the goal of creating a leadership, communication and
team work sandbox, Totem Learning have seen the potential and appeal of it
becoming a commercial game. Their goal is to target the casual and social game market that are looking for a new kind of social game that is more
intellectually stimulating.
The Phoenix
Project is a game that will leave you questioning what’s real, who you can
trust, and what force lies behind the temple.
It is a
point and click adventure game, where players must use their wits and problem
solving abilities to explore the temple, solve the puzzles and reach their
goal. Players are in a race against time to reach their goal before their
counterparts. The concept is to create a competitive environment where, in
order to progress, users must work together with other people, who may have
competing goals.
Player’s
paths never cross. Players are never in the same room. Their rooms may be
alongside one another, or on top of/below one another, but they are never
together in the same room. However their actions will impact the path that
other players may take.
The players
first perspectives of the game will be them signing up to the mysterious
Phoenix Project experiment.
Disorientated and confused, players enter the temple. The first rooms within the temple will give the players the feeling of an epic challenge ahead of them, one that they must win.The environment will be used to begin to build players assumptions about the game world and their place within it.
The puzzles within the temple are designed around manipulating elements of nature to appeal to different problem solving styles and puzzle types.
New puzzle mechanics and abilities are unveiled as players progress.These intricate puzzles are built into the environment and may require strategic coordination among players. In these puzzles there may be conflicting goals and other players may help or hinder you depending on what they want out of the relationship.
As players solve
the puzzles built into the very foundation of the temple they are affecting the
world around them. The overall temple will be an enigma in and of itself. You
will even be able to manipulate the positioning of the rooms in the temple
themselves to make your path simpler and others more challenging.
This underlying
concept, proffering players the choice whether to share objects, information
and knowledge creates a risk, reward system players can use to their advantage.
The
environmental messages, the notifications, and the risk reward system will all
combine to create game play that encourages a competitive frame of mind to
create absorbing and fun social dynamics between players.
