Looking for a short-form puzzle-oriented game with an explosive element? Well, you won’t have to wait long, as Öoo, the next title from Japanese Indie developer Nama Takahashi, is set to release on PC(Steam) later this month.
A seasoned developer behind the critically acclaimed ElecHead, which was released in 2021, Takahashi-san has announced that his next game will be released on August 8th, 2025.
The premise of Öoo (which has no set pronunciation) is that you play as a caterpillar whose body is made up of bombs, which you use to solve levels in order to progress. Controls are simple; you can move, drop a bomb, and detonate it. The focus of the game is not on precision platforming, but more on observation and creativity in this small but densely designed puzzle game.
Your bomb blasts can be used to destroy walls, create new platforms, or combine multiple bombs in clever ways. Depending on how you use your bombs, you can even break through seemingly impossible obstacles, too! Players may come across dead ends during their playthrough, but sometimes all that is needed is to step back and take a moment, applying the knowledge they’ve learned so far to recognise the path that was there all along.
Players can also revisit other levels by being eaten by the friendly “Warp Worm”, which acts as a living world map. Equal parts delightful and weird!
Just like Takahashi-san’s previous titles, Öoo has a cute pixel art style with no text or verbal communication at all, making it accessible regardless of language. Originally, the game was planned to be a bit longer, with even the title having an extra “o”, but after some refocusing, the game now emphasises a more concentrated 2-3 hour experience.
In anticipation of Öoo’s launch later this month, we have published a short Q&A we did with Takahashi-san earlier this year, talking about their minimalist approach to game design and mechanics.
Öoo is releasing on August 8th for PC(Steam) and will be priced at $9.99 USD/€9.75 EUR with a launch discount of 20% for the first 7 days. There is also a demo available to try on PC(Steam).
Are you looking forward to some explosive puzzle-solving in Öoo? Let us know in the comments below.
