Winners & nominees 14th IMGA

Twobit Odyssey

Nominated for the

14th IMGA

laurent kermel
United States
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About Twobit Odyssey

Twobit Odyssey is a unique and visually surprising VR puzzle game featuring an innovative head tracking technology that I invented. The player works closely with a little robot called Twobit in order to escape complex and challenging rooms. You don't directly control him, but instead guide him in his journey. Players end up bonding with Twobit who is like a joyful little pet. He follows your instructions - he can roll to a location you tell him to explore or activate a switch you tell him to push. You can also see the world through his eyes at any time which allows you to examine the layout of each room and the puzzles you need to solve in order to progress through the game's many levels. And you will need to quickly learn how to work with Twobit as each room introduces new gameplay mechanics that push you to rethink everything you know.
Only using your gaze, control a little robot in a strange world, helping him tackle problems and puzzles, and ultimately unravel the mysteries of this dark and enigmatic place. Twobit awakens in a dark and mysterious place. But he is not alone. He sees you. You are his guide. When he asks for direction, look around the room and find a location for him to explore. When he finds a button, nod your head in agreement to activate it. Need to see what lurks in the dark? Activate the Twobit Vision and see the world through his eyes. But who is Twobit and, most importantly, who are you? Are you a figment of his imagination? Twobit Odyssey is an unique VR puzzle-platform game based on the award-nominated game Twobit.

What makes my game unique?

Twobit Odyssey, from inception, was crafted to be a VR game. Special attention was given to its unique gaze control system. Every feature of the gameplay was carefully designed and integrated to be an effortless extension of the player, and for the little robot and the player to ultimately connect and work together. Additionally, everything in the game was formulated to effectively prevent motion sickness. I am myself really sensitive to what I call the 'nemesis' of virtual reality. Before starting any work on Twobit Odyssey, I spent a couple of weeks recreating situations that I knew made me sick in the past and tried to understand what elements were causing it. With all this information, I then started to work on Twobit Odyssey and applied everything that I had learned to the game's inner mechanics. Even the design of the little robot Twobit was designed to prevent motion sickness - for instance, when he rolls into a ball and moves around the rooms, his head collapses back inside his body and you can't see what the robot sees, thus preventing you from feeling dizzy. The Twobit vision is also an intricate part of the gameplay and uses what is often described in VR as 'teleportation' - but here it is fully integrated with the gameplay and players don't feel like they're 'teleporting' when they look through Twobit's eyes, although they technically are.

Why could my game win an award?

I think Twobit Odyssey will win the Grand Prix because I, as a one man game studio, crafted every element of the game and many of its features and mechanics are brand new for the VR industry. From the coding, art, modeling, animation to sound design and music, every detail is my brainchild. I'm proud to say Twobit Odyssey is unlike any other VR game on the market and it was designed from inception to be a VR experience. I tapped into all my skills and industry tricks as a visual effects artist with 16+ years of professional experience working on Star Wars and Harry Potter in order to create a feature film quality VR experience that has yet to make any player nauseous. Twobit Odyssey also features a one of a kind head tracking, gaze control system that I invented and no other VR game has yet to re-create. Players are surprised and delighted by how they immediately assimilate in the world and ultimately connect with Twobit. There is also nothing obvious and expected about my game. The game mechanics are easy to pick up, and each room presents a new challenge and a new way of thinking. All of these elements combined make Twobit Odyssey a very special VR game that will hopefully win the hearts of the judges and players alike.