It's not just many gamers who want to return to simpler times (and concepts) these days -- designers are feeling a little nostalgic as well, it seems, if the first DS project by new French studio Mekensleep is any indication. And you know what's simple? Bubbles. Specifically, Soul Bubbles.After struggling in the increasingly crowded and complicated world of MMOs, Mekensleep founder Olivier Lejade wanted a break. A return to days gone by ... perhaps even something childish and simplistic, and that's where the bubbles came in. It was a simple concept: blowing bubbles and moving them around. But how to turn such a simple concept into a fully-realized game? For that, Lejade turned to legendary French designer Frédérick Raynal. They worked along with Omar Cornut to produce something that was a little bit Loco Roco, a little bit Super Monkey Ball, and all DS.
The game, which has been picked up by Eidos for a debut next year, features tiny spirits encased in bubbles, and players must navigate them through various levels. They can bounce, shrink, grow, and split their way through and around various obstacles. It may sound simple enough, but Lejade and the newly-formed Mekensleep have been working on the game for more than three years, all in an effort to make something fun that would stand out in a field dominated by training games and remakes.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-31-2008 @ 6:19PM
elend said...
Wow, that DOES look nice. I am actually looking forward to it, since I like simple games. I just don't have the time anymore to fiddle around with Final Fantasy for more than 20 hours for example.
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1-31-2008 @ 6:21PM
SephFinale said...
Whoa...three years in developement? If there's a demo for download in the future, I might check it out...
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1-31-2008 @ 7:25PM
Brello said...
Bubbles eh? I'm game.
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2-01-2008 @ 2:35AM
Sakura3210 said...
Looks cool. I gotta say, I'm interested, mostly for the same reasons as elend.
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2-01-2008 @ 7:51AM
Cameron DS said...
this french design group wouldn't happen to have any link to ERE Informatique by any chance? They designed a game called Bubble Ghost which was the very first computer game I ever bought and it holds a very special place in my heart. This game sounds very much like an extrapolation on the Bubble Ghost concept... if so, I'm thrilled.
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3-05-2008 @ 1:56PM
Morris said...
Looks awesome!
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