OneShot

Some OneShot puzzles break the fourth wall; in this example, the player has to drag the game's window off-screen to reveal a code.[4]

In OneShot, a single-player puzzle-adventure game, the player controls Niko, a catlike child who is placed into an unfamiliar sunless world.[5] The game exclusively shows Niko's viewpoint, employing a top-down perspective,[6] while the player is a separate character, referred to by the user account they have signed in with. Throughout the game, the player can make Niko sleep, causing the program to close; upon reopening, a short dream sequence is played.[5]

The gameplay is composed of puzzles involving items.[7] The player may use items at specific locations or combine them to create a new item.[8] The player encounters computers, which signal that the player has to find content outside the game, including in the file system.[9] These can also lead to interacting with the player's operating system in other ways, which includes moving the game window off-screen, mimicking developing film,[4] or by gaining clues from the desktop wallpaper.[9] With these concepts, OneShot was officially described as a game where "the world knows [the player exists]",[1] and the in-game instructions recommend playing in windowed mode instead of fullscreen.[8] The console version, OneShot: World Machine Edition, uses a simulated operating system that allows players to interact with the game like they would with a computer.[10]

Niko, a catlike child, awakes in a dark and unfamiliar house.[11] They[lower-alpha 1] interact with an in-game computer, which addresses the player using the current login name taken from their computer.[5] According to the machine, the world that Niko currently resides in is collapsing, and the player's goal is to guide them back to their homeworld. Niko discovers the world's sun,[12] a lightbulb, and uses it to exit the house, emerging in a barren wasteland. In there, they encounter a robot, which tells them that they are prophesied to save the world. Niko's goal is to carry the sun through its three areas,[12] and place it at the apex of a central tower to restore daylight.[5] They are currently in the "Barrens". The robot teaches Niko to communicate with the player, telling Niko that the player is a god of the game's world whose responsibility is to guide the "Messiah" Niko. Niko meets Silver, a more sentient "tamed" robot, who gifts them a piece of amber that Niko uses as a guide to the next area.

Niko in a Glen puzzle, presenting a dark atmosphere.

Now in the arboreal "Glen", Niko converses with the area's residents, including siblings Alula and Calamus, who gift Niko a glowing feather. Niko uses it to create a feather pen to get past a guard robot, which lets them enter the urbanized third area, the "Refuge", and travel down to the city's surface with the aid of a lamplighter. Arriving at a library, they are directed to the librarian George, and get her attention with the help of researcher Kip Silverpoint. After some study, George translates Niko's book, a journal previously obtained from the Barrens. It states that the tower, which is controlled by an "entity", can be accessed using three phosphoric items. Niko has two such items on hand – the piece of amber and the glowing feather – and George gifts them the final one.

Niko arrives at the tower, but the player is unable to speak to them. The entity informs Niko that both they and the player have won, and that Niko will return home now. The player finds a note as their new desktop wallpaper, telling them how to reconnect with Niko. By following the instructions, the player reappears and learns from a mysterious figure, "the Author", that the entity has grown out of control and become destructive. Once at the top, the Author informs them that they can either break the sun and return Niko home, which would destroy the world, or place the sun at the top of the tower, trapping Niko in this world. Niko leaves the decision up to the player, forming the game's endings. If the player chooses to place the sun, the world becomes brighter, and in the credits, the characters are in awe. If the player chooses to destroy the sun, Niko states that they hear their mother's voice outside the game's window before saying goodbye and walking offscreen.

The game started as freeware. This initial version was made in a month and released online on June 30, 2014, by creators Eliza Velasquez and Nightmargin (Casey Gu).[14] It was developed as an entry for RPGMakerWeb's 2014 Indie Game Maker Contest, but it did not receive any accolades.[15][16] The developers cited Yume Nikki, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Hyper Light Drifter, and The Little Prince as inspirations for this version.[14] Velasquez and Gu said that they initially thought this version was their finalized product until Degica Games approached them to publish the game. According to them, with the additional production time, they managed to expand and include everything they wanted to add in the original version.[17]

OneShot was developed in RPG Maker XP.[17] Developer Michael Shirt worked alongside Velasquez and Gu to produce the 2016 version of the game; the three make up the indie studio Future Cat.[1][18] It was also produced by Mark Conforti.[18] According to Gu, the game was designed with an all-encompassing "dark but vibrant"[2] theme to reflect the lack of sunlight in the setting. The game's atmosphere was inspired by the RGB colour model, and music for each area was composed only after its respective visual design was completed.[2] In an interview with PC Gamer, Velasquez said that the fourth-wall-breaking nature of OneShot was inspired by Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid, a character known to have telepathic powers by reading the player's memory card.[4] In an interview with IGN Brasil, along with Metal Gear Solid, Velasquez and Gu also cited Irisu Syndrome, Imscared, and Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem as initial influences. They said the idea of a game where the player talks to their own character originated around 2011.[17] Although the initial version was released before Toby Fox's Undertale,[4] they described it as an "anti-influence", in that they wanted to do a unique take on the story after it came out.[19]

After being featured at the Game Developers Conference in March 2016,[9] the finalized version was released on Steam on December 8, 2016.[1] On March 28, 2017, a new ending that solved mysteries about the story, "Solstice", was released.[13] In October 2017, it was shown at IndieCade.[4] The game's macOS version was launched on May 31, 2018, with gameplay intended to be "as close to the Windows version as possible",[20] and a Linux version was released on April 24, 2019.[21] Both the Linux and Windows versions were later released on Itch.io on March 12, 2020.[22]

On December 8, 2021, the game's fifth anniversary, the developers announced that they were working on a release for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One incorporating "new features designed for consoles".[23] On May 11, 2022, the Nintendo Switch version was revealed as part of Nintendo's Indie World under the title OneShot: World Machine Edition.[24] Versions for all three consoles were released on September 22, 2022.[7][10]

According to review aggregator Metacritic, the Windows version of OneShot received "generally favorable reviews", with a score of 80/100 based on 8 reviews,[25] while the World Machine version released for the Nintendo Switch received "universal acclaim", with a score of 92/100 based on 5 reviews.[26] The game has a 93% approval rating on OpenCritic.[27]

The story and characters were praised. Borja Ruete of MeriStation described the script as "well-written" and "captivating" for the game's short length.[30] He described the relation between the player and Niko as "curious",[30] while Zoe Delahunty-Light of GamesMaster said that it was "lovely"[29] forming a friendship with Niko throughout the game. Hardcore Gamer reviewer Spencer Rutledge described the story as "effortlessly [conveying] emotion".[12] Rock Paper Shotgun's John Walker and Ramon Nafria of Vandal stated that its cast was of a wholesome, likeable nature.[5][16] Conversely, Adventure Gamers reviewer Pascal Teikala thought that the "alien feel"[28] of the game made it difficult to relate to.

Opinions on the art direction were positive. Rutledge (Hardcore Gamer) commended the art,[12] while Delahunty-Light (GamesMaster) described the landscapes as "enchanting".[29] Although he found the thematic colouration interesting, Teikala (Adventure Gamers) claimed the overall direction was too "modest", with many of the game's environments being unnecessarily simple.[28] Ruete (MeriStation) praised the character and setting design, but criticized that the graphics were repetitive as a result of the game being developed in RPG Maker.[30] Nafria (Vandal) wrote that the graphics were "humble" but kept players "hooked".[16]

The gameplay was positively received for its metafictional elements. Walker (Rock Paper Shotgun) felt that his experience with OneShot's fourth-wall breaking gameplay was unique,[5] and Delahunty-Light (GamesMaster) described it as immersive.[29] Teikala (Adventure Gamers) praised these interactions, but opined that some players might dislike its interference with their computer.[28] Nafria (Vandal) said that this aspect is one of the game's advantages, but criticized that walking around the game's individual environments felt "boring" and "unintuitive".[16]

The soundtrack received some criticism, with Ruete (MeriStation) describing it as "monotonous"[30] and Nafria (Vandal) stating that it is generic and "not brilliant".[16] In a more positive note, Teikala (Adventure Gamers) said that although it was "limited",[28] they felt as though the sound design paired well with the soundtrack. Rutledge (Hardcore Gamer) stated that the game's soundtrack matched its mood, with each area having an appropriate theme.[12] Delahunty-Light (GamesMaster) described it as "haunting" and "nightmarish".[29]

Regarding the Nintendo Switch World Machine edition with a simulated operating system, Lowell Bell of Nintendo Life criticized the cursor's controls and the in-game windows' size, adding that the pixelated details in windowed mode were hard to see, especially with a Switch outside its dock.[7] Shaun Musgrave of TouchArcade stated that the game loses a few aspects in the transition, but praised that a player could still be engaged in the gameplay even after these changes.[31]

In 2017, OneShot was nominated for the "PC Game of the Year" category at the Golden Joystick Awards.[3]

• Official website