Running and jumping are the bread and butter of most video games, and platformers most of all. On the surface, platformers may appear to be a simple jaunt from point A to point B, but some are dense with underlying mechanical complexity.Bionic Bayis one such title, as it invites players into a biological robot-filled world that must be traversed throughclassic platformer techniquesalongside some more unusual methods.
Ahead ofBionic Bay’s launch, Game Rant spoke with artist and designer Juhana Myllys about howBionic Baycame to be and the challenges involved in making a responsive and rewarding platforming experience. One of the standout aspects ofBionic Bayis the handy device the scientist protagonist finds on his journey, which allows players to swap items back and forth, manipulate gravity, and stop time. Myllys says these capabilities allowedBionic Bay’s level design to flourish.
Bionic Bay and its ‘Universal Game Mechanic’
The device players will learn to use duringBionic Baydeals with what Myllys calls a “universal game mechanic.” The teams at Psychoflow Studios and Mureena Oy started with the idea of what the device could do to the realistic human character, designing the biomechanical world around it to keep players' suspension of disbelief intact. Myllys has said that the swap mechanic alone has led to plenty of inspiration even years into development, especially inBionic Bay’s optional online leaderboards, which encouragespeedrunning through levels:
“The idea behind the online mode is to offer a good time for both casual players and more hardcore speedrunners. New challenges open and close daily, and you’ll earn points based on your performance on climbing the global leaderboards. If you’re ready to fully commit, you’ll probably find yourself playing every day, but even if you just drop in from time to time, there will always be fresh challenges waiting for you.”
The trailers show plenty of environments, such as snowy mountains and underwater tunnels, that’ll test players' knowledge ofBionic Bay’stight movement systemthroughout their journey. In the colorful settings depicted with Myllys' trademark art style, the team’s imagination is the only limit to the trialsBionic Baycan offer. The depth hidden behind simple controls gives players room to tackle these challenges however they want, with freedom to learn the game in a way that suits them.
Bionic Bay Online has Specially-Made Features
Just asBionic Baynaturally encourages players to go faster as they master its basic platforming, fans might be able to use the swap feature to surprising effect in shortening their times. Players can already familiarize themselves withBionic Bay’s snappy actions with thedemo available on Steamin a way that intuitively lets players learn what to do where while playing. There may be a bit of a learning curve for those who dive into the online leaderboards right away, though, as Myllys explains howBionic Bay Onlineadjusts the mechanics to emphasize speed over all else:
“At launch, the Online Mode will include content from the main game, though it will be heavily modified to better suit speedrunning. We’ll combine level segments from the single-player adventure, modify them, and introduce additional mechanics. Perhaps in the future, we’ll also start creating content exclusive to Online Mode.”
Players have a lot to look forward to withBionic Bay, with the demo dealing with swapping floating platforms to create paths alongside timed jumps and swaps to avoid certain death, but that’s only the beginning of thetricky platforming challengesMyllys helped create.Bionic Bay Onlinealso presents numerous other mechanics, such as stopping time, which is specifically geared toward the time trial mode. The online leaderboards utilize ghosts of competing players that restart any time the person attempting the run dies, encouraging following the lead to get the best times, no matter how many attempts it takes.
Bionic Bayhas the potential to be a memorable platformer due to its imaginative level design, friendly controls, and surprising turns that keep players on their toes. It serves as a reminder of how important the core mechanics are to creating a satisfying platforming game, exemplified by how much work Myllys and the team put into its foundational ideas. The developers have taken the concept ofBionic Bay’s mechanics, applied them to arealistic physics engine, and devised a wide range of platforming challenges to suit them. As such, Myllys says he’s looking forward to seeing what players do to get out of the puzzles the team has created.
