Brainseed Factory – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

January 18, 2019

Brainseed Factory’s PlayStation VR Puzzler Squishies Gets Physical This Spring

German indie developer Brainseed Factory launch virtual reality (VR) puzzle platformer Squishies for PlayStation VR a couple of months ago. Today, the team has announced a collaboration with Perp Games to bring the videogame to retail stores this Spring.

Squishies

Squishies takes place in a joyful, vibrant world which Brainseed Factory has designed to be easily navigated using PlayStation Move controllers. The challenge is to help the squishie characters get home by manoeuvering them around a series of ever more complex and hazardous levels, pushing and pulling from one side of the maze to the other, all while earning medals, gathering crystals, climbing slopes, and avoiding pitfalls.

There are 100 levels across five worlds to complete in the main campaign mode, and when things get tough you can always use power-ups, alien technology and helpful creatures to get by. Once completed – or even before then – you can build your own levels using the same tools that Brainseed Factory used to build the videogame. Once completed the levels can then be shared with friends and the rest of the world using an online store.

Of the announcement, Bilal Chbib, Producer and Game Designer at Brainseed Factory said in a statement: “We have big plans for our little Squishies, and working with an experienced partner like Perp to bring the game to the beloved box is definitely a great step forward.”

Announcing the first Perp Games title in 2019, Rob Edwards, MD of Perp Games went on to add: “Squishies is a great puzzle game, that uses the Move controllers in a unique and intuitive way. We really love the level editor and think fans will have great fun creating new levels to share to the community.”

Squishies will get a physical release in Spring 2019 for PlayStation VR owners in EU territories, with a North American date to be announced. Of course, you can buy Squishies digitally now, via the US PlayStation Store for $24.99 USD, or the EU PlayStation Store has the title discounted 20 percent, dropping the price from £19.99 GBP to £15.99. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Squishies, reporting back with any further future updates.

October 31, 2018

Puzzle Platformer Squishies Available to Pre-order for PlayStation VR

Indie developer Brainseed Factory is well-known for its award-winning puzzler Typoman. Being the dark and morbid 2D platformer that it was the studio decided on a different direction for its next title, venturing into virtual reality (VR) to create Squishies. Alongside a new trailer Brainseed Factory has announced the launch of pre-orders, enabling gamers to save 20 percent off the regular price.

Squishies is a fun, colourful and carefree experience with the aim of the game being to help squishies get home by manoeuvering them around a series of ever more complex and hazardous levels. This is achieved by way of the PlayStation Move controllers which are represented in the videogame as transdimensional Alien Fish friends. These are then used to push and pull the squishies about.

There are 100 levels across five worlds to complete in the main campaign mode, and when things get tough you can always use power-ups, alien technology and helpful creatures to get by. Once those have been completed Squishies also includes a Creative Mode with a Level Editor for you to build your own levels and then share with friends – Brainseed Factory created all the campaign levels using the same editor.

“Squishies is a magical place, with colourful plant life, funny creatures and engaging puzzles,” says Art Director Arton Rexhëbogaj. “You can easily lose track of time.”

Squishies will launch on PlayStation Stores worldwide on 20th November. Via the US PlayStation Store, the videogame is $19.99 USD instead of $24.99 when you pre-order, while the EU PlayStation Store has the title listed for £19.99 GBP with PS Plus Members getting it for £15.99.

“It feels great to finally see the store page go live, though our Squishies journey is far from ended,” says Brainseed Factory Founder and Producer Bilal Chbib in a statement. “It’s the kind of game that starts as a small sprouting seed, then – with the help of a vibrant community and new content that we aim to release on a regular basis – will grow into a giant sequoia!”

For any further updates on Squishies, keep reading VRFocus.

September 27, 2018

Squishies on The PlayStation VR Is More Pleasant Than You Might Think

Many children no doubt used to invent stories about their favourite toys and their whimsical adventures, inventing characters and personalities for dolls, action figures and plush toys. This is the sort of approach that developer Brainseed Factory are taking with its upcoming virtual reality (VR) platform title Squishies which is heading to the PlayStation VR.

Brainseed Factory previously worked on Typoman, a dark 2D platformer that contained some brutal and morbid themes. The developer has said on the PlayStation Blog that Squishies is an attempt to create something more positive and lighthearted.

The goal of Squishies is to help the titular critters find their way back home. The Squishies themselves are colourful blobs that vaguely resemble alien fish with stumpy little legs. They can be moved around by using the PlayStation Move controller to pull or push them into position.

In order to complete a level, the Squishies need to be moved to giant alien gates, which will giant them a route home. Power ups are available along with alien technology or alien creatures who are willing to lend a hand.

In order to give players that sense of creating their own story, Squishies comes with a level editor that lets players bring their imagination to life in order to craft colourful otherworldly environments and share them with other players.

Franziska Funken, Game Researcher at Brainseed Factory explains: “Aside from the extra adorable look of those creatures and the ingenious challenging gameplay, we wanted you to experience the huge fun we had while creating all these levels. That’s why we implemented the same tool that we used during development, so you can have the same experience that we had.”

Squishies is due for release on PlayStation VR on 20th November, 2018. A price point for the title has not yet been set. The announcement trailer is available to view below. Future coverage on
Squishies and other upcoming VR titles will be here on VRFocus.