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OneShot

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For similar terms, see One shot.

OneShot
The text "OneShot", with the letter O replaced by a lightbulb, next to a depiction of the main character, Niko
Developer(s)Future Cat
Publisher(s)Degica
Producer(s)Mark Conforti
Programmer(s)
  • Eliza Velasquez
  • Michael Shirt Edit this on Wikidata
Artist(s)
  • Nightmargin
  • Eliza Velasquez
Writer(s)
  • Nightmargin
  • Eliza Velasquez
  • Michael Shirt
Composer(s)
  • Nightmargin
  • Eliza Velasquez
  • Michael Shirt
EngineRPG Maker XP
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
macOS
Linux
Nintendo Switch
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
ReleaseWindows
December 8, 2016
macOS
May 31, 2018
Linux
April 24, 2019
Switch, PS4, Xbox One
September 22, 2022
Genre(s)Adventure, puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

OneShot is a puzzle-adventure game developed by indie studio Future Cat and published by Degica. Based on a 2014 free version, it was released for Microsoft Windows via Steam on December 8, 2016, and on itch.io on March 12, 2020. A version adapted for consoles, OneShot: World Machine Edition, was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 22, 2022.

Officially described as a game where "the world knows you exist", both its gameplay and plot involve metafictional elements. Many puzzles involve interacting with the operating system outside of the game application. Narratively, the player is a separate character from the protagonist Niko. The latter arrives in an unfamiliar world which has been deprived of its sunlight, and eventually aims to restore it by replacing its sun, a lightbulb, at the top of a tower.

OneShot received positive reviews, with critics praising its narrative and metafictional aspects, comparing it positively to other games such as Undertale. In 2017, the game was nominated for the "PC Game of the Year" Golden Joystick Award.

Gameplay

An animated GIF. It starts showing OneShot's window, which shows a variety of numbers, behind a blue desktop. The window is moved off-screen to the right and then down. The window now shows five numbers highlighted in yellow.
Some OneShot puzzles break the fourth-wall; in this example, the player has to drag the game's window off-screen to reveal a code.[1]

In OneShot, a single-player puzzle-adventure game, the player controls Niko, a catlike child who is placed into an unfamiliar sunless world.[2] The game exclusively shows Niko's viewpoint, employing a top-down perspective,[3] while the player is a separate character, referred to by the user account they are signed into. Throughout the game, Niko can rest using beds, causing the program to close; upon reopening, a short dream sequence is played.[2]

The gameplay is composed of puzzles involving items.[4] Items can either be used to interact with a specific location or combined to form a new item.[5] Throughout the game, the player encounters computers, which signal that the player has to find content outside the game, including in the file system.[6] These can also lead to interacting with the player's operating system in other ways, which includes moving the game window off-screen and back to mimic developing film,[1] or by gaining clues from the desktop wallpaper.[6] Due to these concepts, it was officially described as a game where "the world knows you exist",[7] and the in-game instructions recommend playing in windowed mode.[5] The version for consoles, titled OneShot: World Machine Edition, uses a simulated operating system to allow players to interact with the game like they would with a computer.[8]

Plot

The game begins with Niko, a catlike child, who awakes in a dark and unfamiliar house.[9] They[a] interact with an in-game computer, which addresses the player using the current login name, taken from the player's computer.[2] According to the machine, the world that Niko currently resides in is near ruin, and the player's goal is to guide them back to their homeworld. They discover the world's sun,[10] which has the form of a lightbulb, and use it to exit the house, emerging in a barren wasteland. There they encounter a robot, which tells them that they are prophesied to save the world. Niko's goal is to carry the sun through its three areas,[10] and place it at the apex of a central tower, restoring daylight;[2] they are currently in the "Barrens". The robot teaches Niko to communicate with the player, telling Niko that the player is a god of the game's world whose responsibility is to guide the "Messiah" Niko. Niko meets Silver, a more sentient "tamed" robot, who gifts them a piece of amber that Niko uses as a guide to the next area.

Niko in a Glen puzzle, presenting a dark atmosphere.

Now in the arboreal "Glen", Niko converses with the area's residents, including siblings Alula and Calamus, who gift Niko a glowing feather. Niko uses it to create a feather pen to get past a guard robot, which lets them enter the urbanized third area, the "Refuge", and travel down to the city's surface with the aid of a lamplighter. Arriving at a library, they are directed to the librarian George, and get her attention with the help of researcher Kip Silverpoint. After some study, George translates a book of Niko's, a journal previously obtained from the Barrens. It states that the tower, which is controlled by an "entity", can be accessed using three phosphoric items. Niko has two such items on hand, and George gifts them the final one.

Niko arrives at the tower, but the player is unable to speak to them anymore. The entity informs Niko that both they and the player have won, and that Niko will return home now. The player finds a mysterious note has appeared as their new desktop wallpaper, telling them how to reconnect with Niko, and the player reappears, guiding them to the top. Discovering notes made by a mysterious figure termed "the Author", they learn that the entity has grown out of control and become destructive. Once at the top, the Author informs them that they can either break the sun and return Niko home, which would destroy the world, or place the sun at the top of the tower, trapping Niko in this world. Niko leaves the decision up to the player, forming the game's endings. If the player chooses to place the sun on the top of the tower, the world is depicted as now being much brighter as a number of characters look up at their new sun in the credits. If the player chooses to destroy the sun, Niko states that they hear their mother's voice from outside the game's window before saying goodbye and walking offscreen. The world is also depicted as having gone monochrome with purple outlines and black backgrounds.

"Solstice" path

After the completion of the game, a note appears in the user's Documents folder, allowing the player to continue via the alternate "Solstice" ending path.[11] Initially, it is identical to the main game, aside from Niko possessing the Author's journal from the Barrens early. When Niko meets Silver in the Barrens and enters the mines, they travel to an observation room instead, and meet Proto, a more advanced prototype of the prophet robot. Proto reminds Niko of the events of the original storyline, which took place before this repeat. According to them, the world is a simulation, termed the "World Machine"; this new run is a reset of the machine.

Niko, Silver, and Proto travel to the Glen, but the latter two are crushed by a rockfall, but not before Proto gives Niko their backup memory disk. There, Niko meets Calamus and Alula again, and repairs the local mechanic Cedric's plane. Cedric says that his father was the Author, who created the World Machine to replace the previous world after its destruction. Niko and Cedric take his plane to the Refuge, and Cedric uses the backup memory disk to restore Proto, instructing Niko to find Rue, a sentient fox. Rue reveals that the World Machine is the original game's entity, and Niko's presence in the world corrupted it. Cedric and a restored Proto reappear, and alongside Niko, they enter the internals of the World Machine, "taming" it and reversing its destructive behavior. Niko places the sun at the Tower and restores the world, reverting the deaths of characters, and Niko returns home.

Development and release

The game started as freeware; this initial version was made in a month and released online on June 30, 2014, by creators Eliza Velasquez and Nightmargin (Casey Gu).[12] It was developed as an entry for RPGMakerWeb's 2014 Indie Game Maker Contest, but did not receive any accolades.[13][14] The developers cited Yume Nikki, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Hyper Light Drifter, and The Little Prince as inspirations for this version.[12] Velasquez and Gu said that they initially thought this version was their finalized product until Degica Games approached them to publish the game. According to them, with the additional production time, they managed to expand and include everything they wanted to add in the original version.[15]

OneShot was developed in RPG Maker XP.[15] In addition to Valesquez and Gu, the 2016 version was also developed by Michael Shirt; the three make up the indie studio Future Cat.[16][7] It was also produced by Mark Conforti.[16] According to Gu, the game was designed with an all-encompassing "dark but vibrant" theme to reflect the lack of sunlight in the setting.[17] The game's atmosphere was inspired by the RGB colour model, and music for each area was composed only after its respective visual design was completed.[17] In an interview with PC Gamer, Velasquez said that the fourth-wall-breaking nature of OneShot was inspired by Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid.[1] In an interview with IGN Brasil, along with Metal Gear Solid, Velasquez and Gu also cited Irisu Syndrome, Imscared and Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem as initial influences. They said the idea of a game where the player talks to their own character originated around 2011.[15] Although the initial version was released before Undertale,[1] she described it as an "anti-influence", in that she wanted to do a unique take on the format after it came out.[18]

After being featured at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March 2016,[6] the finalized version was released on Steam on December 8, 2016.[7] On March 28, 2017, a new ending that solved some mysteries about the story was released;[11] termed "Solstice", it was partially based on old sequel ideas for the game.[19] In October 2017, it was shown at IndieCade.[1] The game's Mac version was launched on May 31, 2018, with gameplay intended to be "as close to the Windows version as possible",[20] and a Linux version was released on April 24, 2019.[21] Both the Linux and the Windows versions were later released on itch.io on March 12, 2020.[22]

On December 8, 2021, the game's 5th anniversary, the developers announced that they were working on a release for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One incorporating "new features designed for consoles".[23] On May 11, 2022, the version for Nintendo Switch was revealed as part of Nintendo's Indie World, under the title OneShot: World Machine Edition.[24] Versions for all three consoles were released on September 22, 2022.[8][4]

Reception

According to review aggregator Metacritic, the Windows version of OneShot received "generally favorable reviews", with a score of 80/100 based on 8 reviews,[25] while the World Machine version released for the Nintendo Switch received "universal acclaim", with a score of 92/100 based on 5 reviews.[26] The game has a 93% approval rating on OpenCritic.[27] Rock Paper Shotgun writer John Walker said that it was "completely charming, delightfully written, and extremely clever", [2] while Zoe Delahunty-Light of GamesMaster described it as "thought-provoking, innovative, and haunting" along with being "immersive in a totally unique way".[29]

The story received praise. Borja Ruete of MeriStation described the script as "well-written" and "one of those that hooks the player instantly and traps from beginning to end".[30] He described the relation between the player and Niko as "curious",[30] while Delahunty-Light (GamesMaster) said that "it's lovely growing closer to Niko as the game progresses".[29] Hardcore Gamer reviewer Spencer Rutledge described the story as "effortlessly convey[ing] emotion",[10] and Walker (Rock Paper Shotgun) stated that its cast "nearly always contain[s] a moment that will make you smile".[2] Nafria (Vandal) said that the game has "characters that are very easy to grow fond of".[14] Conversely, Teikala (Adventure Gamers) thought that the alien feel of the game made it difficult to relate to.[28]

Opinions on the art direction were positive. Rutledge (Hardcore Gamer) commended the art,[10] while Delahunty-Light (GamesMaster) described the landscapes as "enchanting".[29] Although he found the thematic colouration interesting, Teikala (Adventure Gamers) claimed the overall direction was too "modest", with many of the game's environments being unnecessarily simple.[28] Ruete (MeriStation) opined that, although the illustrations were not "spectacular", "the set of characters and settings look quite neat".[30] Nafria (Vandal) said "the art during the game is extremely humble".[14]

The gameplay was positively received. Regarding its metafictional elements, Walker (Rock Paper Shotgun) claimed that "It does stuff with my PC that I didn't know games could do".[2] Adventure Gamers reviewer Pascal Teikala also praised these interactions, but noted that some players might dislike its interference with their computer.[28] Ramon Nafria of Vandal said that this aspect is one of the game's advantages, but criticized that "the feeling of moving around the world is relatively boring and even unintuitive".[14]

The soundtrack received some criticism, with Ruete (MeriStation) describing it as "monotonous"[30] and Nafria (Vandal) stating that "it is not brilliant at all, ending up being a series of melodies and sounds typical of any generic role-playing game".[14] In a more positive note, Teikala (Adventure Gamers) said that, although it was "a bit on the limited side", "a handful of nice emotional tracks nudge the sound design firmly to a successful if not always pleasant level".[28] Rutledge (Hardcore Gamer) stated that the game's soundtrack perfectly matched its mood, with each area having an appropriate theme.[10] Delahunty-Light (GamesMaster) described it as "haunting" and "nightmarish".[29]

Regarding the Nintendo Switch World Machine edition, which added a simulated operating system, Lowell Bell of Nintendo Life criticized controlling the cursor and the sizing of the in-game windows, adding that it was hard to see the details of the pixelated world in windowed mode, especially with an undocked Switch.[4] Shaun Musgrave of TouchArcade stated that the game "loses a little bit in the transition", "but once you've been playing for a little while it's easy enough to lose yourself in the illusion of its recreation."[31]

In 2017, OneShot was nominated for the "PC Game of the Year" category of the Golden Joystick Awards.[32]

Notes

  1. ^ The gender of Niko is ambiguous. The developers have intentionally refrained from giving a definitive answer on their gender.[33][34]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Winkie, Luke (September 8, 2017). "OneShot is a bizarre adventure game full of fourth-wall-breaking moments". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Walker, John (December 12, 2016). "Wot I Think: OneShot". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  3. ^ Walker, John (December 9, 2016). "OneShot is bursting with nice ideas, and out now". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d Bell, Lowell (September 21, 2022). "Mini Review: OneShot: World Machine Edition - A Brilliant And Bittersweet Indie Darling". Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Future Cat (December 8, 2016). OneShot. Degica. Scene: Instructions.
  6. ^ a b c Makedonski, Brett (March 14, 2016). "The key to beating OneShot probably won't be in the game". Destructoid. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c "OneShot on Steam". Steam. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "OneShot: World Machine Edition launches September 22". Gematsu. August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Grayson, Nathan (December 11, 2016). "OneShot Is A Game Where The Main Character Knows Who You Are". Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Rutledge, Spencer (December 7, 2016). "Review: OneShot". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Grayson, Nathan (March 28, 2017). "Months Later, OneShot Gets A New Ending". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Oneshot, an indie Puzzle Adventure game for RPG Tsukuru 2003 :: rpgmaker.net". rpgmaker.net. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  13. ^ "Indie Game Making Contest 2014 Winners!". RPGMakerWeb. September 30, 2014. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Análisis OneShot - PC". Vandal (in European Spanish). December 28, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c Costa, Carol (January 8, 2018). "Game indie OneShot traz conceito único de interação com o jogador". IGN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Future Cat (December 8, 2016). OneShot. Degica. Scene: Credits.
  17. ^ a b Brierley, Louis (July 26, 2017). "[INTERVIEW] OneShot". Heavy. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  18. ^ Velasquez, Eliza; Gu, Casey; Shirt, Michael (March 26, 2018). Oneshot Livestream (Online video). Event occurs at 01:13:01. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  19. ^ Velasquez, Gu & Shirt 2018, 01:16:02.
  20. ^ Caldwell, Brendan (June 1, 2018). "OneShot is out on Mac and that's nice for you, Dan". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  21. ^ "OneShot is out for Linux!". Steam. April 24, 2019. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  22. ^ "OneShot by futurecat". itch.io. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  23. ^ Romano, Sal (December 8, 2021). "Top-down puzzle adventure game OneShot coming to PS4, Xbox One, and Switch in 2022". Gematsu. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  24. ^ "Nintendo Switch Indie World Showcase May 2022: Everything Announced". IGN. May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  25. ^ a b "OneShot for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  26. ^ a b "OneShot: World Machine Edition for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  27. ^ a b "OneShot Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  28. ^ a b c d e Tekaia, Pascal (November 29, 2018). "Review for OneShot". Adventure Gamers. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  29. ^ a b c d e Delahunty-Light, Zoe (February 2017). "OneShot". GamesMaster. No. 313. p. 80.
  30. ^ a b c d e Ruete, Borja (December 15, 2017). "OneShot, Análisis". MeriStation (in Spanish). Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  31. ^ a b Musgrave, Shaun (September 27, 2022). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Penko Park' and 'Beacon Pines', Plus the Latest Releases and Sales". TouchArcade. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  32. ^ Dwan, Hannah (October 27, 2017). "Public voting and the nominations for the 2017 Golden Joystick Awards are now up". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  33. ^ Velasquez, Eliza. "In Oneshot who does the art of Niko and wat gender is niko?". Tumblr. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  34. ^ Gu, Casey (March 15, 2015). "What is Niko's gender (if they have one)? I heard..." Tumblr. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2019.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OneShot&oldid=1178900470"