forma.8 announced for PS4 and Vita

Italian indie studio MixedBag announced today a new action adventure game for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. It goes by the name forma.8 and it's the studio's personal take on the classic Metroidvania formula.

In the distant future, a small exploration probe, forma.8, is stranded alone on the surface of an alien planet. It was parted from its companions by chance, and has a life or death mission to accomplish: it must find and recover a powerful energy source deep under the surface before it’s too late. Ancient civilizations, great perils, and dystopian visions await it, and not everything is as it seems.

The game starts you off floating in mid air, "with a control system that aims to give players a true sense of flying." You start off with no powers, no weapons, and no hints; it's up to you to explore the planet and uncover the story. Also, all communication in the game is done through images, sounds, and the gameplay itself.

Physics is also said to play a big part in forma.8. "Everything in the world is physics based, with plants, ropes, liquids, enemies, rocks, and all the moving elements interacting and reacting in a realistic way, offering unexpected twists to the game," the studio explained.

forma.8 is a mix of hand-drawn vector graphics with 3D elements, rendered at the "highest resolution possible." It will run at 60 frames per second in 1080p.

No release date has been announced yet.

[PS Blog]