The wait is over…Tourmaline Studio’s two-player cooperative adventure and exploration game Oniri Islands, is now up on Kickstarter.
Using physical toys atop their tablet screen, two players are whisked off onto a magical adventure with siblings Tim and Mina as they try to find their lost shadows. Along the way they discover animal shaped masks which transform them and give them special powers to fly, swim and more.
We were lucky enough to have been sent a pair of prototype figures along with a demo build of the game containing the first chapter of the story. My 9 year-old daughter and I took in for a spin with her taking on the role of Mina and I, Tim. She was totally into it, and was instantly and completely immersed in the adventure.
The art and music combine beautifully to craft an enchanting world that you cant help but want to plunge into and explore.
When Mina dawned a dolphin mask (one of my daughter’s favorite animals) my daughter laughed and giggled and loved swimming around the level.
It was fun to spend time together, working as a team with her to scavenge items and avoiding dangerous pools of quicksand. The augmented reality tech worked surprisingly well, despite the fact that the figurines we had were just hand-made prototypes, not the final product, which will look much prettier. We’ve been told that the material used in the retail release will also be even more conductive and responsive.
It took us around 30 minutes to complete the one demo chapter and at the release the app will contain a total of three chapters. Backers will be able download the application for free on iOS and Android stores at launch.
If our experience is any indication, I think Oniri Islands will be a big hit with kids.
The project has a funding goal of about $30,000 US and is scheduled for fulfillment in November. Early Bird backers can get the Core Edition of the game for a bid of ~ $30 US (+$9 shipping), which comes with the game box containing two figures and 5 masks plus digital wallpapers, a digital copy of the Artbook, a digital copy of the original soundtrack, a masked photo and stickers as well as a credit in the game.
Other, more expensive, pledge levels are available that add things like physical versions of the artbook, printed fan art, collectible figurines and more.
For loads more information about the game, pledge levels, colorful pictures and more visit the official Kickstarter page.
Check out the Kickstarter video below:
