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Adrift
Developer(s)Three One Zero
Publisher(s)505 Games
Designer(s)Samuel Bass
Artist(s)Jason Barajas
EngineUnreal Engine 4[1]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Oculus Rift
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
ReleaseQ2/Q3 2015
Mode(s)Single-player

Adrift (stylized as ADR1FT) is a first-person video game developed by Three One Zero and published by 505 Games. It is scheduled to be released in Q2/Q3 2015 for Microsoft Windows, Oculus Rift, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The story follows an astronaut, who floats through the wreckage of a destroyed space station with no memory of the incident. Over the course of the game, players find clues that piece together the events of the incident, and attempt to repair the escape vehicle to return home.

Development began in 2013, following creator Adam Orth's resignation from Microsoft. The development team envision the game as a "first-person experience", purposefully avoiding violence. Orth compares the game to the upheaval in his life following his controversial comments about the Xbox One's DRM proposal.

Gameplay

First-person view of the player character floating through a damaged space station, with the Earth in the background.
Players float around the destroyed space station in zero gravity, maintaining sufficient oxygen levels by collecting oxygen tanks.

Adrift is played from a first-person view. In the game, players can float and move in any direction through the open environment,[2] which takes place in zero gravity.[3] The environment may be fully explored, but players will be restrained from exploring too far. One of the restraints is an oxygen limit, which players must monitor to avoid suffocation.[2] When running low on oxygen, players' vision becomes blurred; they must obtain an oxygen tank to stay alive.[4] Players move through five areas and complete a series of puzzles. Players are able to locate audio logs that will expand on the events of the incident.[2] Players will also find artifacts from the dead crew and must decide whether to return them to Earth.[3] The game is said to have two main objectives: to survive, and to return home safely.[5]

Development

The conception of Adrift was a direct result from the events that occurred to Adam Orth in 2013. When Microsoft's Xbox One was announced, it received controversy for its digital rights management that would require users to remain online to use the console. After seeing people quarrel over this, Orth—then a creative director at Microsoft—told them to "deal with it", which resulted in a mass of complaints leading to Orth's resignation from the company.[6] This led him to move from Seattle to Southern California. Orth noted that the game is a metaphor,[4] comparing it to the events in his life; both Orth and the player character find themselves in the middle of a disaster, and must "do the hard work to put things together".[2] He has stated that the game is about "action, consequence and redemption".[7] Following his resignation from Microsoft, Orth approached his former colleague Omar Aziz with the idea of founding a new studio. Although initially hesitant, Aziz agreed with the idea after hearing Orth's pitch for Adrift, and the two founded the development studio Three One Zero. After building a prototype for the game, Orth contacted and hired other former colleagues. The development team found that they were interested in developing Adrift due to its unique nature, setting it apart from first-person shooters. "I've gotten a lot of FPS fatigue over the years, having worked on them for many, many years I've gotten tired of them," said producer Matteo Marsala.[8] The team envision the game as a "first-person experience", making an intentional diversion from violence.[9]

The team noted that the "look" of the game was the biggest change that occurred during development. Orth compared the game's art style to the minimalist presentation of the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.[8] Orth also acknowledged the comparisons between Adrift and the 2013 film Gravity, stating that he conceived the game prior to the film's release. Upon watching the film, he felt confident that the two are "very different".[10] The team consider the game's scope and scale to be similar to Gravity, the immersion of the world similar to the Half-Life series, and the presentation and storytelling similar to Journey (2012).[11] The game's logo was designed by graphic designer Cory Schmitz,[12] while the team hired Hogarth de la Plante as a prototype artist,[13] Dave Flamburis as a technical artist,[14] Oscar Cafaro as a concept artist[15] and Chad King as an environment artist.[16]

The game is being developed simultaneously for Microsoft Windows, Oculus Rift, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[17] The team intended Adrift to be released on the Oculus Rift since the game's conception.[18] The original prototype for the game was developed for potential publishers by three people in ten weeks, using the Unity game engine. The game's functionality was entirely rebuilt for use with the Unreal Engine 4.[13]

References

  1. ^ Cowley, Dana (June 19, 2014). "Unreal Sightings at E3 2014". Unreal Engine. Epic Games. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Totilo, Stephen (February 10, 2014). "Adam Orth Is Turning His Personal Disaster Into A Beautiful Game". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  3. ^ a b USA Today Staff (June 11, 2014). "Video games' future is vast". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Cecente, Brian (February 20, 2014). "Breathing lessons: How Adam Orth turned social disaster into triumph". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  5. ^ Rath, Arun (June 21, 2014). "On Display At Video Game Showcase: A Struggle For Diversity". NPR. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  6. ^ Nutt, Christian (February 10, 2014). "Adam Orth turns his personal challenge into a new game experience". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  7. ^ Tach, Dave (June 12, 2014). "What is Adrift?". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Cecente, Brian (November 28, 2014). "How first-person shooter fatigue led to the serene beauty of Adrift". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  9. ^ Watts, Steve (June 26, 2014). "How Adrift could be Oculus Rift's secret weapon". Shacknews. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  10. ^ Giardana, Carolyn (June 11, 2014). "E3: IS Virtual Reality The Next Revolution In Entertainment". The Hollywood Reporter. Lynne Segall. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  11. ^ Valdes, Giancarlo (June 22, 2014). "To infinity and beyond: VR games embrace space travel and innovation at E3 2014". GamesBeat. VentureBeat. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  12. ^ Orth, Adam (October 29, 2014). "ADR1FT and Cory Schmitz". Three One Zero. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  13. ^ a b Orth, Adam (July 12, 2014). "Development Progress: Puzzle Design and Iteration". Three One Zero. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  14. ^ Orth, Adam (June 19, 2014). "ADR1FT Technical Artist Dave Flamburis". Three One Zero. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  15. ^ Orth, Adam (June 18, 2014). "ADR1FT Concept Artist Oscar Cafaro". Three One Zero. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  16. ^ Orth, Adam (June 17, 2014). "ADR1FT Environment Artist Chad King". Three One Zero. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  17. ^ Orth (June 25, 2014). "ADR1FT and the reality of virtual reality". Three One Zero. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  18. ^ Associated Press (June 12, 2014). "E3 2014: Virtual reality isn't for everyone". CBS News. CBS. Retrieved December 15, 2014.

External links

Template:505 Games

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