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Noita (video game)

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Noita
Developer(s)Nolla Games
Publisher(s)Nolla Games
Programmer(s)Petri Purho, Olli Harjola, Arvi Teikari, Antti Tiihonen
Composer(s)From Grotto and Niilo Takalainen[1]
EngineFalling Everything
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release15 October 2020
Genre(s)Platform, roguelike
Mode(s)Single-player

Noita is a platform roguelike game developed by Nolla Games. Players control a witch that can collect and cast spells in order to defeat enemies named after Finnish mythological creatures. The main game leads the player down a cave ending in a boss fight, although the game contains much more secret and supplementary content. It was released in early access for Microsoft Windows on 24 September 2019.[2] Noita left early access as the 1.0 version was released on 15 October 2020.[3]

Gameplay

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Noita (lit. 'witch') is a single-player video game in which the player character is a witch who finds, collects, and casts spells in a procedurally generated, 8-bit, 2D world where every pixel is physically simulated.[4][5][6][7] Noita has permadeath, and the player fights enemies that include creatures named after Finnish mythological creatures such as Hiisi and Iku-Turso. The story opens with a cutscene that references the Karelian and Finnish national epic Kalevala, and one of the goals is seeking out the Sampo. The actual gameplay starts when the player takes control of the player character at the opening of a cave.

The game consists of biomes, or unique areas within the game, which contain various new enemies, objects, spells, wands, and biome specific topography.[8] Every biome has a name which is displayed on screen upon entering it for the first time in a given run. Basic gameplay leads the player down a cave where the main path of the game begins. The main path consists of eight biomes stacked on top of one another, descending deeper into the cave as the player progresses through the main game. Each successive biome contains stronger enemies and more valuable objects or spells than the last. In order, the biomes in the main path are: Mines, Coal Pits, Snowy Depths, Hiisi Base, Underground Jungle, The Vault, Temple of the Art, and The Laboratory.[8] In the final biome resides the main boss of the game, Kolmisilmä[9]. Upon defeating the boss, the player is rewarded with the Sampo, which can be used to finish the main path and complete the main game.[10]

Noita also consists of many other various bosses, mini-bosses, secret biomes, in-game achievements, challenges, and endings that are either hidden or not a direct part of the main game and its progression.[11][12][13] It also contains a viewer participation feature that lets Twitch livestream viewers vote about in-game events.

Development

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Noita was developed by Nolla Games, an independent game studio based in Helsinki, Finland. The studio was formed by Petri Purho (the developer of Crayon Physics Deluxe), Olli Harjola (The Swapper) and Arvi Teikari (Baba Is You).[2][14][1] Noita is inspired by the 1998 artillery game Liero, falling-sand games, and modern roguelikes.[2] The game's sound design was by Niilo Takalainen, and the soundtrack was a collaboration between the Finnish psychedelic band From Grotto and Niilo Takalainen.[15] The game went through many different design directions for two years, before settling on the final format.[16] Petri Purho described it as "based on a falling sand style simulation. Essentially, it's complex cellular automata."[17]

Noita was released in early access for Microsoft Windows on 24 September 2019 and is digitally distributed on GOG.com, Humble Bundle, Itch.io, and Steam. The developer expected the game to be in early access for a year before its full release.[18] Noita left early access as the 1.0 version on 15 October 2020.[19]

The game received post release content updates until 30 March 2021 with the release of the “Epilogue Update”, however the developers stated they would still release bug fix patches. They also highlighted the game's modding community.[20] On 8 April 2024, the developers released a follow-up "Epilogue 2 Update" with additional content and quality of life changes.

Reception

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Noita was a finalist nominee in three categories at the 2019 Independent Games Festival: Seumas McNally Grand Prize, Excellence in Design, and Nuovo Award.[24] Finnish computing website Muropaketti [fi] gave the early access version of Noita a 4 out of 5, and described the game as "unbridled and addictive" and that it "sets high expectations for the finished game".[25] During the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Noita for "Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game".[26] The game was nominated for "Best Technology" at the 20th Game Developers Choice Awards, held in March 2020[27] and for "Most Innovative Gameplay" in the Steam Awards (2020).[28] Noita won 2 awards in the Finnish Game Awards 2021, for Finnish Game of the Year and Big Screen Game of the Year.[29]

The Finnish Museum of Games hosted an exhibition about the game from 4 September until 12 December 2021.[30]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Noita ilmestyi Early Accessiin". Pelit (in Finnish). 25 September 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Noita Early Access Launch Date Trailer". Gamasutra. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  3. ^ Hirsilä, Markus (23 September 2020). "Kotimainen Noita saapuu 15. lokakuuta". Gamereactor (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  4. ^ Bell, Alice (25 October 2019). "Noita is very good even if you are very bad at it". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  5. ^ Plante, Chris (18 October 2019). "OK, this is the coolest trick I've seen in a game this year". Polygon. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  6. ^ MacLeod, Riley (24 September 2019). "Noita Is A Delightful Game Where You Can Destroy Every Pixel You See". Kotaku. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  7. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (22 February 2019). "Noita from idea to execution in a dozen years (and counting)". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Biomes". Noita Wiki. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  9. ^ "Kolmisilmä". Noita Wiki. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  10. ^ "Sampo". Noita Wiki. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  11. ^ The Ultimate Noita New Player's Guide. Retrieved 2024-04-26 – via www.youtube.com.
  12. ^ "The Emerald Tablet - Noita Documents Directory". Google Docs. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  13. ^ "Noita Relations". miro.com. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  14. ^ Cripe, Michael (29 August 2019). "Noita Makes Pixel Physics Look Magical, Hits Early Access in September". The Escapist. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Nolla Games". nollagames.com.
  16. ^ Bell, Alice (23 May 2019). "The Noita devs on how to make a fun game when everything is falling". Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
  17. ^ "Noita: a Game Based on Falling Sand Simulation". 80.lv. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  18. ^ Chalk, Andy (29 August 2019). "Noita, the game that simulates every pixel's physics, hits Early Access this September". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Noita 1.0 - Out Now". Steam. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Noita receives its final major update, Epilogue". PCGamesN. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  21. ^ "Noita for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  22. ^ "Noita Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  23. ^ "Noita review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  24. ^ "Finalists and Winners". Independent Games Festival. 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  25. ^ Purhonen, Teemu (13 October 2019). "Arvostelu: Noita on jo Early Access -vaiheessa vaikuttava roguelite – Valmis peli saattaa olla jopa viiden tähden arvoinen". Muropaketti [fi] (in Finnish). Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  26. ^ "2021 Awards Category Details Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  27. ^ Shanley, Patrick (8 January 2020). "'Death Stranding' Leads Game Developers Choice Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  28. ^ "The Steam Awards: Winners".
  29. ^ "The Finnish Game Awards 2021 - Shoeless Celebration of Success". Neogames. 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  30. ^ "Studio – Museokeskus Vapriikki". The Finnish Museum of Games. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
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