OSIRIS INTERNAL DIAGNOSTIC

Status: FAIL

Following the containment of SA-18, an attack by unknown agents has been launched on the Osiris network.

The Space Corps Science Division has classified this event as The Osiris Infection.

Development of a new containment protocol - codenamed Cypher - is underway.

Expect further reports as the system stabilises.

Osiris Access Level 7 – Internal Use Only

Doing Things Differently

After the two years it took to unleash Rex and the Galactic Plague, I decided I wanted a change of pace for my next game.

While I still very much intend on following up Rex with a full-blown sequel (oh, I have many plans!), I wanted to create something smaller and more contained first.

There were a few reasons for this. Firstly, I needed a palette cleanser after spending so long with Rex. I also wanted something that - in theory - wouldn’t take too much time to build. A small, single-screen puzzler seemed to fit the bill perfectly, especially since I could reuse some of the assets I’d already created.

But there was more to the decision than speed or scope. I’ve always wanted to release a game on the Amstrad CPC - and maybe even the ZX Spectrum - and The Osiris Infection felt like a good candidate if I designed it with those constraints in mind. From the outset, I decided it would be a single-screen puzzle game (well… mostly single-screen in the early stages), which conveniently solved a few challenges I’d face on the CPC.

It also made the project feel contained enough that I could actually finish it in a reasonable timeframe.

I initially gave myself a deadline of six weeks.

A pipe dream, of course - one that didn’t remotely account for how every new mechanic inspired another, and how the puzzles and abilities kept expanding in complexity.

Six weeks became six months… but that’s still not bad at all.

And now, those six months are coming to an end. We have 27 puzzle levels, three arcade action sequences, three play modes (Adventure, Arcade, Puzzle), and at least two endings - though there’s always time to add more.

I may yet extend one of the modes, and if inspiration strikes, a few more levels could appear before launch. But essentially, the game is there. Now it’s time for polish.

Whether the 8-bit versions will ever materialise, I don’t yet know. I’d love to make them, but for now they remain on the wish list.

Time will tell.

But in the meantime — prepare to deploy your Cypher, and bring order to chaos.

Osiris needs you.

See Osiris in action

If you want a sneak peak of Osiris in action, Scorpion Engine creator Earok recently live streamed an early build (which includes placeholder music designed to give my resident musician a soundboard to play from). 

Take a look at his preview here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2600306808

Kev

Hoyster Games