Hi, my name is Richard Boeser. I’m the Creative Director for ibb and obb, a cooperative puzzle-platformer with a gravity twist, that launches on PSN next spring.
In the earliest stages of development the game was called ‘Brothers’. Looking back at that now it means a lot more than I thought it did. My fondest memories of games are those that I played together with my brother or close friends. It has always surprised me how few games are really designed around two player interaction.
With ibb and obb we’ve tried to do just that. The gameplay revolves around a world with two directions of gravity, but even more so it’s about the interaction between the players. All elements in the game are designed for two, ranging from the way you solve puzzles to handling enemies. For example, when one player takes out an enemy, the other tries to be ready on the other side of the split to fetch the reward.
In the game you explore five worlds, consisting of three levels each. Visually the mood starts out very colourful and adventurous, slowly changing into a somewhat darker atmosphere. The same transition can be found in the music, all of which is composed by Kettel. I’ve been a fan of his music for a long time and was super happy when he said he’d gladly join the project. His music has a pleasant melancholic feel to it that really fits the visual mood of the game.
Throughout the game new mechanics are introduced that add to the previous ones. Some change the way you can move around, like the gravity bubbles, while others change what you can see depending on the distance between the players. In the end puzzles become quite complex, but by then you should have become well practised in double gravity acrobatics.
This is our first production and it’s very exciting to see it getting closer and closer to release. Currently we’re polishing the game and setting up the online multiplayer mode. I look forward to hearing your opinions and keeping you up-to-date on the development. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
For more frequent updates about the state of the game, you can find ibb and obb on Facebook and Twitter.
22 CommentsAdd Yours
1
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:11 pm by Acheron1
Looks very interesting and I love that it’s for two players. There are far to few games with local Coop/Multiplayer out there. 2013 can’t come soon enough ^^
2
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:12 pm by Nicko_McBrain
Yay, Ibb & Obb! Really looking forward to your game, I’m also one of your facebook fans
I’ll definitely buy it as soon as you release it!
3
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:13 pm by almighty-slayer
Looks really rather awesome. Definitely one to keep an eye on
4
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:16 pm by Fred Dutton
Richard will be along shortly to answer any questions on the game, so feel free to fire away!
5
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:28 pm by teermi
Looks good! Will it be available for the Vita? Hope so. Looks like a good fit.
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 4:18 pm by Richard Boeser
Hi Teermi,
We have no fixed plans for Vita yet. We’re focusing on the PS3 version first. Especially because the game is designed specifically for two players. That said, I would love to see it on a Vita though : )
6
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:29 pm by nicolajNN
Looks like a great and fun co-op game, I’ll keep my eye on this.
I assume there will be local multiplayer as well? And the obvious question, who’s Ibb and who’s Obb?
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 4:20 pm by Richard Boeser
Hi,
Yes there is definitely local multiplayer. Nothing beats playing the game together on the same couch and being able to directly communicate with the friend next to you.
And ibb is the green one, obb the purple/pinkish one.
7
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:31 pm by Golwar
*thinks of an useless but cool comparison*
Super Meat Boy meets VVVVVV meets … damn, I lack a cool co-op indie title to complete it.
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 4:24 pm by Richard Boeser
I like both of those a lot
Think the comparison with VVVVVV makes a lot of sense. We started with one fresh game mechanic and built a world around that. To me Katamari Damacy has always been an excelent example of designing that way.
8
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:41 pm by Prem-aka-Prince
I agree, local co-op has some of my all-time favourite gaming moments, and as I was reading this I was looking forward to more of that. Don’t really have any questions -there’s not much to go on yet- but I’m glad to see you making the effort to put online multiplayer. I ASSUME it’s co-op as an alternative to the local, but you would know better than I if there’s some other kind of multiplayer there. That’s kind of like a question. Almost?
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 4:26 pm by Richard Boeser
Hi,
Yes definitely counts as a question. The game is always coop. You can choose to play locally or online.
9
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:45 pm by S-o-h-a-i-l
Will there be a Vita version and possible cross-play/share/buy features ?
10
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:49 pm by Milereb
Purrfect! Now all I need to do is convince my US friend to get it (not the biggest fan of puzzle games). I’m so glad to hear it’s getting online multiplayer!
11
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 3:57 pm by kivi95
Will there be a PSvita version? Would love to play this game on PSvita.On PS3?Not so much.
12
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 4:16 pm by SSJ3_Bob_Marley
What a cute game! Will there be a custom soundtrack option?
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 4:38 pm by Richard Boeser
Hi,
There will be no custom soundtrack option. The music system is adaptive to the places in the levels so the mood fits what happens on the screen. Would be a shame to miss that.
But, you can turn down the music volume and put on Bob Marley in the background : )
13
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 4:44 pm by SSJ3_Bob_Marley
@Richard:
It’s understandable if the gameplay and music are perfect fits and that custom music would throw you off, just wanted to ask because it can be relaxing depending on the kind of games you play. Now I’m even more interested to see how it will work in the final product!
You just mentioned that the game is always coop. What happens when a buddy drops out halfway the game, though? Does the AI take over or can you control both ibb and obb at the same time (if the controls are simple enough)?
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 5:32 pm by Richard Boeser
We haven’t decided on all the details of online multiplayer. In the case of your buddy dropping out you would be able to control both characters simultaneously using both analogue sticks.
By playing through the game you automatically unlock the levels you have visited and can always return to those. You would have to find another online buddy first, but you would never lose a lot of progress.
14
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 5:42 pm by Prem-aka-Prince
Thanks for your replies! Hmm that last reply raises an interesting thought. I played a platformer -Ms Splosion Man on XBLA- which had a mode called ‘Two girls one controller’. The name still makes me cringe every time, but the mode was crazy and awesome; you would have two people holding the same controller and using a stick each to navigate.
While I can’t think of why someone with siblings or nearby gaming friends wouldn’t be able to get two controllers in the same room, it would be a welcome addition if you could do it.
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 6:34 pm by Richard Boeser
: )
Well in theory you could already do this by choosing the single player mode which has that controller setup. But it would register your progress only on one account.
15
Posted on 8 October, 2012 at 6:14 pm by Falcon1991
Looks cute and cool.
Can’t wait to try it out.
16
Posted on 9 October, 2012 at 2:59 am by DJrya
Why are people wanting this game? First time iv heard about it. It seems likes its random running around with no objective. Anyone give me a hint?
17
Posted on 9 October, 2012 at 8:03 am by samirbvr
The objective of the game is not so clear, may be a few hints. Also, I hope there is LOCAL co-op.
Posted on 9 October, 2012 at 10:07 am by Richard Boeser
Hi,
The objective might indeed not be so clear. There is a backstory to the game, but we don’t show that in the game through texts or cutscenes. We mostly use that story to design a world that to us makes sense.
For example: The small ball like creatures (Fins) are evolutionary closely related to ibb and obb. That tells us that they will behave the same when they bump into an enemy or pass through a warp.
The easiest objective would be “go right” and if you pay attention you’ll find out what is happening : )
18
Posted on 9 October, 2012 at 10:49 am by samirbvr
Thanks Richard, that sounds interesting, learning by observation rather than tutorials. Looking forward to a demo and local co-op features.
19
Posted on 9 October, 2012 at 12:34 pm by Bootaaay
This certainly looks like a unique and innovative take on the platforming genre, so colour me intrigued! I like the music and minimalist art style – to me, it’s very reminiscent of Nifflas’ Knytt games.
20
Posted on 9 October, 2012 at 2:52 pm by vonhammer
Looks decent.
Richard,can I ask what efforts you guys are making towards getting the game out on SCEE store.Are you a 100% confidant you’ll meet the necessary requirements.
I feel I need to ask these sort of questions now.
Posted on 10 October, 2012 at 11:41 am by Richard Boeser
Hi,
We are definitely releasing in Europe. We are based in the Netherlands. Most of the team is Dutch and some are British. We want to play the game with friends too : )
21
Posted on 9 October, 2012 at 8:01 pm by RenoTonakai
Why has the waiting time been extended to Spring 2013? I heard the first prioty was End 2012?
Posted on 10 October, 2012 at 11:44 am by Richard Boeser
Hi,
It’s true we thought we would release end of this year. However quite some people warned us about this busy period of the year. Many big publishers will promote their holiday titles and for us it would be harder to get noticed.
So we decided to postpone, which also gives us the possibility to add online multiplayer at launch.
The waiting is a bit longer, but we think it is the right decision.
22
Posted on 10 October, 2012 at 10:51 am by cal_uk-kun
Wow that looks really good! I look forward to playing the final product
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