SphereFACE
sphereFACE is a shooter game developed and published by VoxelStorm. The game was released on May 19, 2017 for Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X. Gameplay is conceptually reminiscent of , but takes place inside three-dimensional spheres rather than a two-dimensional playing field.
Gameplay
Gameplay in sphereFACE involves flying a spacecraft-like ship which navigates in two dimensions on the inner surface of a three-dimensional sphere. As in Asteroids, the ship can only accelerate and fire in the direction it is facing, and has momentum - it will continue to fly indefinitely in its direction of travel, unless the player turns around and accelerates in the other direction. The three-dimensional sphere requires the player to keep track of hazards outside their field of view, including behind them. The view can be freely controlled with mouselook, independent of the movement of the ship, or it can be locked to the ship. and generates pseudo-realistic shattering effects and rock fragments. The player can also encounter enemies of increasing difficulty, and the procedural game world has an end boss. laid out out in a procedural 3D maze. with permadeath, but was paused while the VoxelStorm team worked on AdvertCity. The game subsequently ran a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in 2015, reaching 149% of its target funding level. The game was on Steam in 2016. It remained in closed beta testing until its public release in May 2017.
The game includes an implementation of Boids, a form of artificial life.
The game is available on Microsoft Windows, Linux and OS X.
Graphics
The graphics in sphereFACE are abstract However, the world and the rendering engine are fully three-dimensional. Because the game was designed with virtual reality in mind from the start of development, there are no 2D interface elements. The game has a fully three-dimensional menu that can be navigated either with mouselook, a controller, or virtual reality head tracking. The game is compatible with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.<ref name="review_vrfocus" />
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to sphereFACE is an original score consisting of 14 tracks. Each track plays as an intro followed by a looping section in the game, but remixed extended versions which are played standalone are sold separately as a soundtrack package.
Reception
The game has been called "a loving tribute to one of the first games ever created".<ref name="review_keengamer" /> The graphics have been described as "charming",<ref name="review_keengamer" /> and as having a "cool vector aesthetic".<ref namereview_gamingcentral /> Reviewers considered the 2D gameplay plane to be an intriguing twist.<ref name"review_pixeljudge" /> The game has drawn criticism for its high difficulty level and unforgiving sudden death game mechanics,<ref name="review_keengamer" /> although that same quality was praised by other reviewers.<ref name="review_oprainfall" />
Gameplay
Gameplay in sphereFACE involves flying a spacecraft-like ship which navigates in two dimensions on the inner surface of a three-dimensional sphere. As in Asteroids, the ship can only accelerate and fire in the direction it is facing, and has momentum - it will continue to fly indefinitely in its direction of travel, unless the player turns around and accelerates in the other direction. The three-dimensional sphere requires the player to keep track of hazards outside their field of view, including behind them. The view can be freely controlled with mouselook, independent of the movement of the ship, or it can be locked to the ship. and generates pseudo-realistic shattering effects and rock fragments. The player can also encounter enemies of increasing difficulty, and the procedural game world has an end boss. laid out out in a procedural 3D maze. with permadeath, but was paused while the VoxelStorm team worked on AdvertCity. The game subsequently ran a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in 2015, reaching 149% of its target funding level. The game was on Steam in 2016. It remained in closed beta testing until its public release in May 2017.
The game includes an implementation of Boids, a form of artificial life.
The game is available on Microsoft Windows, Linux and OS X.
Graphics
The graphics in sphereFACE are abstract However, the world and the rendering engine are fully three-dimensional. Because the game was designed with virtual reality in mind from the start of development, there are no 2D interface elements. The game has a fully three-dimensional menu that can be navigated either with mouselook, a controller, or virtual reality head tracking. The game is compatible with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.<ref name="review_vrfocus" />
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to sphereFACE is an original score consisting of 14 tracks. Each track plays as an intro followed by a looping section in the game, but remixed extended versions which are played standalone are sold separately as a soundtrack package.
Reception
The game has been called "a loving tribute to one of the first games ever created".<ref name="review_keengamer" /> The graphics have been described as "charming",<ref name="review_keengamer" /> and as having a "cool vector aesthetic".<ref namereview_gamingcentral /> Reviewers considered the 2D gameplay plane to be an intriguing twist.<ref name"review_pixeljudge" /> The game has drawn criticism for its high difficulty level and unforgiving sudden death game mechanics,<ref name="review_keengamer" /> although that same quality was praised by other reviewers.<ref name="review_oprainfall" />
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