What is OOLO?
This is the first in a series of writeups about what, exactly, OOLO is all about.
If you grew up with video games in the 80s and 90s, chances are you ran across at least one isometric adventure game. In an age where most games were single screen 2D platformers, these games gave players a 3D world to explore from a fixed isometric camera angle.
The games had vast worlds to traverse, maps to draw, artifacts to collect, and even powerups to change how you interacted with and moved through that world. Instead of a panning camera, you could see the entirety of any one map room on the screen at once, and frequently each of these rooms became a sort of puzzle--how do I get to that door? How do I get to that potion?
It's a genre that has a dedicated fanbase, but not one that gets a tremendous amount of attention. Those games made the biggest impression on me as a young gamer, and that's why my own take on this is Riddle Master Production's first major game release!
Like several of the great isometric adventures from the 8-bit days, one of the guiding principles with OOLO was that the titular character wasn't a fighter or a powerful wizard, but more of someone who finds creative ways around his foes--or creative ways to use them to get to where he wants to go.
Also like those games there's a wide world to explore. The map stretches across over 400 rooms, filled with multiple wondrous environments. Here's just a glimpse of some of it:
As for when you can get your hands on it, the release is currently on track for early 2025. In addition, I'm preparing a free demo for you to try out that will be released this fall!
Next time we'll take a look at some of the "Quality of Life" features going into OOLO that make the genre more accessible to modern audiences.
Until next time!
Ben "dariakus" Brooks
If you grew up with video games in the 80s and 90s, chances are you ran across at least one isometric adventure game. In an age where most games were single screen 2D platformers, these games gave players a 3D world to explore from a fixed isometric camera angle.
The games had vast worlds to traverse, maps to draw, artifacts to collect, and even powerups to change how you interacted with and moved through that world. Instead of a panning camera, you could see the entirety of any one map room on the screen at once, and frequently each of these rooms became a sort of puzzle--how do I get to that door? How do I get to that potion?
It's a genre that has a dedicated fanbase, but not one that gets a tremendous amount of attention. Those games made the biggest impression on me as a young gamer, and that's why my own take on this is Riddle Master Production's first major game release!
Like several of the great isometric adventures from the 8-bit days, one of the guiding principles with OOLO was that the titular character wasn't a fighter or a powerful wizard, but more of someone who finds creative ways around his foes--or creative ways to use them to get to where he wants to go.
Also like those games there's a wide world to explore. The map stretches across over 400 rooms, filled with multiple wondrous environments. Here's just a glimpse of some of it:
As for when you can get your hands on it, the release is currently on track for early 2025. In addition, I'm preparing a free demo for you to try out that will be released this fall!
Next time we'll take a look at some of the "Quality of Life" features going into OOLO that make the genre more accessible to modern audiences.
Until next time!
Ben "dariakus" Brooks