TeamODD’s ODDRooM is an agile, fast-paced first-person shooter focused on traversal, quick thinking, and above all, keeping players guessing. Its premise lends well to achieving each of these goals: ODDRooM consists of players fighting through a series of lucid dreams containing just about every environment or creature that the developers can dream up. For a small but creatively rich studio like TeamODD, using dreams as a foundation for a first-person shooter is an idea worth pursuing.
In an interview with Game Rant, TeamODD developers discussed the team’s initial reasoning for choosing dreams as a creative framework and the advantages this brings to the table. In particular, these disconnected dreams gave the developers unparalleled freedom to explore a wide range of ideas, resulting in a unique indie game that delivers dozens of scenarios that otherwise would never be seen in the same title.
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Anything Can Happen In ODDRooM’s Lucid Dream Levels
As a small studio comprising four developers, TeamODD faces a similar challenge that many of the best indie games in recent memory have grappled with. Limited manpower and resources necessitate standout ideas and innovations since the team can’t rely on big-budget cinematic sequences, gigantic open worlds, and A-list voice actors to draw a crowd. TeamODD says that working with dreams fosters a creative atmosphere in the studio that leads to unique ideas.
We believed that the unrestricted concept of “dream” would allow our developers to come up with more ideas, and since there was no actual concept to guide them, they were able to communicate freely and develop…For example, a crashing airplane, a medieval castle, a rooftop-to-floor battle, and other gameplay environments are not often found in realistic or sci-fi FPS games. You’ve probably had dreams of falling from a great height, traveling to the past, and being in a place you recognize but don’t know where. ODDRooM is a dream world.
Even the best first-person shooters are constrained by their themes, with realistic tactical shooters stuck with real-world weaponry or sci-fi shooters like Destiny requiring some internal consistency to remain believable. Since dreams are largely unbelievable, the only rule ODDRooM has to follow is that there are no rules. Anything can appear in a dream, and TeamODD’s options are only limited by the developers’ imaginations.
ODDRooM’s Enemy Variety Has No Limits
This leads to a stunning variety of sequences behind each door of ODDRooM‘s mansion hub area. One dream might see players in a cartoonishly rendered dreamscape battling hideous monsters, while another might see them in a realistic-looking dungeon being chased down by a gigantic rabbit. Additionally, many of these sequences are inspired by common dream scenarios like being stuck on a falling airplane. TeamODD points out that these environments can differ by theme, size, and even how the level is rendered visually. One dream might be contained in a small dungeon, while another has players overlooking a massive futuristic cyberpunk cityscape.
Each room has a different atmosphere and structure, such as a fairy tale world, a futuristic city, or a dark nightmare. You’ll experience different battles in each stage. Initially, only one door is unlocked, but clearing a room will unlock other doors and gradually you will be able to challenge more and more stages. As the number of rooms increases, the difficulty level increases, but on the other hand, the number of CatCoins you can earn also increases, allowing you to grow faster.
This creative freedom also extends to ODDRooM‘s assortment of enemies. ODDRooM‘s gameplay trailer showed creatures resembling Living Jars from Elden Ring, while other enemies ranged from whimsical and cutesy to utterly horrifying. Even the most fantastical games can grow predictable due to their consistent themes, but ODDRooM is looking to be a game that never loses the element of surprise.
ODDRooM is currently in development for PC.