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Ode (video game)

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Ode
Developer(s)Ubisoft Reflections
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Director(s)Pierre Escaich[4]
Producer(s)Anne Langourieux[5]
Designer(s)Liam Charlton[5]
Dale Scullion[5]
Programmer(s)Chris Jenner[5]
Jon Jilja[4]
Artist(s)Jack Couvela[5]
Composer(s)Romain His[5][4]
Tom Salta[4]
EngineUnity
Platform(s)Windows
Release
Genre(s)Adventure
Music
Mode(s)Single-player

Ode (stylized in all lowercase) is an adventure music video game developed by Ubisoft Reflections and published by Ubisoft. The game was released on November 26, 2017, in Europe, on November 27, 2017, in North America, and on November 28, 2017, in Australia, for Windows.[6][7]

Gameplay

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The gameplay is centered around exploration and musical discovery. Players control a small creature named Joy who is in a spherical ball, as they traverse through four distinct worlds, each designed to evoke different emotional responses through color, light, and sound.[8][9] The game's main objective is to collect scattered orbs, which, when gathered, contribute to the world's musical score and visual effects.[10]

A screenshot from the game, with Joy in purple, surrounded by orbs

Ode operates without conventional game mechanics such as scores, levels, or objectives.[11] This approach eliminates any form of competition or progression, focusing solely on the player's interaction with the game.[12] The game's structure allows for a self-directed experience, where players determine the extent and nature of their engagement with the environment.[13][14]

The controls allow the players to roll, jump, and interact with various elements in the environment. Joy can absorb different types of orbs that influence the gameplay, such as speeding up movement or altering the musical score.[15] The game has no time limits. As players progress through the levels, they unlock new musical elements and environmental changes that allow them to shape the world around them.[16][17] There are no enemies to combat in the game.[18]

Development

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The game was developed by the team at Ubisoft Reflections which had developed previous games such as Grow Home (2015), Grow Up (2016), and Atomega (2017).[8][19][5][20] The game is intended to be a "musical exploration" video game.[10][21] The game is also intended to be an experimental video game.[22]

Reception

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Ode received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregation website Metacritic.[32] The game received 80% recommendation from critics on review aggregation website OpenCritic.[24]

British video game magazine Edge gave Ode a rating of 8/10, complementing the game's gameplay. Christian Donlan for Eurogamer listed the game under 'Eurogamer Recommended', complementing the idea of Ode, and describing it as "magic".[26] Andrea Forlani for Eurogamer Italy, rated the game 6/10, pointing out that the game itself is concise, "has nothing memorable", and that "if you are looking for a game that would resonate with your soul, you would be better off looking elsewhere".[27]

Gauthier Andres for Gamekult gave Ode a rating of 7/10, praising the setting, sound, music, and light, stating that the game is "visually evocative and seductive", but, like Forlani, stated that the game is concise.[20] GamesTM gave the game 8/10 in their magazine, stating that the game is "a wonderfully-executed musical masterpiece". Chris Shive for Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 7/10, stating that the game is destitute of a story and any dangerous or "malevolent" creatures to challenge the player, only praising the game's presentation.[18]

Jose A. Rodriguez for IGN España gave Ode a rating of 8/10, complementing the graphics and the freedom to play the game at the pace of choice, and music.[29] Marco Esposto for IGN Italia gave the game a rating of 7.8/10, praising the visuals, sound, and challenge, but, like others, condemns the length of the game, stating that is "too short".[30] 3DJuegos rated the game 7.5/10, or 'Bueno', praising the game's relaxation and visuals, stating that the game "stands out for its great color and spectacular staging", and that it "captivates the senses with a beautiful sensory experience".[21]

Polish video game magazine CD-Action gave Ode a rating of 5/10, stating that "Ode is a hollow, shallow experience that I will never come back to and can’t recommend".[31] Tommaso Pugliese for Multiplayer.it rated the game 7/10, stating that "the ideas put into play are original, the artistic part appears inspired and some glimpses and sequences are undeniably evocative", but condemns the "excessive slipperiness regarding the character's movement".[22] Ramón Varela for the Spanish review website Vandal rated the game 7/10, like others, praising the originality and relaxation, but condemning the amount of time taken to beat the game.[19]

Ode was rated as 'one of the best PC games of 2017' by PCGamesN.[33][34]

References

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  1. ^ "Ode - Ubisoft's New Musical PC Experience Is Now Available". Sirus Gaming. November 28, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Ubisoft's next indie game 'Ode' is out in the UK". Engadget. November 27, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Wells, Adam (November 27, 2017). "Ubisoft Just Announced And Released Ode". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Ubisoft Reflections (November 26, 2017). Ode (Windows). Ubisoft. Scene: Credits.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Smith, Phil (November 28, 2017). "Ode - Behind the Scenes of Reflections Musical Exploration Game". Ubisoft News. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Gerblick, Jordan (May 14, 2021). "Ubisoft Reflections is staffing up for a new IP". GamesRadar+. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  7. ^ Makedonski, Brett (November 27, 2017). "Ubisoft's Grow Home developer just surprise-launched a new game called Ode". Destructoid. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Chalk, Andy (November 27, 2017). "Ode is a new 'music exploration adventure' from the makers of Grow Home". PC Gamer. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Bornales, Leif Rey (December 4, 2017). "Ode Review - A Symphony of Sounds". Sirus Gaming. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  10. ^ a b McWhertor, Michael (November 27, 2017). "Ubisoft releases 'joyful' music experiment from Grow Home studio". Polygon. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "Ubisoft's Ode strips Grow Home of its systems until all that's left is pure joy". PCGamesN. November 27, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "Ode (2017)". MobyGames. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  13. ^ O'Connor, James (November 28, 2017). "Ubisoft releases a new, previously unannounced game, Ode, about musical immersion". VG247. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Perez, Cody (November 27, 2017). "Ubisoft Stealth Releases Super Mario Odyssey-like 3D Platformer Ode". GameRevolution. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  15. ^ Galvão, Bruno (November 27, 2017). "Ubisoft apresenta Ode". Eurogamer.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Sinha, Ravi (November 28, 2017). "Grow Home Team Releases New Musical Platformer Ode". GamingBolt. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  17. ^ Maria, Alex Santa (September 3, 2019). "Best Uplay+ Games We Want to Play | From Driver: Parallel Lines to POD". GameRevolution. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Shive, Chris (December 2, 2017). "Review: Ode". Hardcore Gamer. Valnet. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  19. ^ a b c Varela, Ramón (November 29, 2017). "Análisis Ode - PC". Vandal (in European Spanish). El Español. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Andres, Gauthier (December 6, 2017). "Test: Ode a de la joie à revendre". Gamekult (in French). Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c "Análisis de Ode. Una bella sinfonía". 3D Juegos (in Spanish). November 28, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Pugliese, Tommaso (December 5, 2017). "Elogio alla sperimentazione - la recensione di Ode". Multiplayer.it (in Italian). Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  23. ^ "Ode critic reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Ode Reviews". OpenCritic. Valnet. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  25. ^ "Ode". Edge. No. 315. p. 122.
  26. ^ a b Donlan, Christian (November 30, 2017). "Ode review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  27. ^ a b Forlani, Andrea (January 3, 2018). "ODE - recensione". Eurogamer.it (in Italian). Gamer Network. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  28. ^ "Ode". GamesTM. No. 196. p. 87.
  29. ^ a b Jose A., Rodríguez (November 30, 2017). "Ode. Análisis para PC". IGN España (in European Spanish). Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Esposto, Marco (November 20, 2017). "Ode - La recensione". IGN Italia (in Italian). Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  31. ^ a b "Ode". CD-Action. February 2018. p. 39.
  32. ^ "Ode critic reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  33. ^ "The best games of 2017: Ode". PCGamesN. December 19, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  34. ^ "The best PC games of 2017". PCGamesN. November 13, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
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