9 /10 1 Votes9
Producer(s) Filip Kraucher Programmer(s) Vojta Stránský Writer(s) Filip Kraucher Developer FiolaSoft Studio Genre Platform game | 9/10 Steam Designer(s) Vojta Stránský Artist(s) Radek Jakl Initial release date 27 February 2015 Publisher FiolaSoft Studio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Composer(s) Jakub MiřejovskýJan ŠevčíkDavid Kopecký Similar Exogenesis: Perils of Rebirth, Kaio: King of Pirates, Scivelation, Armillo, Barkley 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Blackhole is an indie platform video game by FiolaSoft Studio. Developers worked with popular let‘s players and YouTubers on the script for the story and for building the characters.
Contents
Development
Developers originally intended to make a remake of PacIn: Revenge of Nermesssis, FiolaSoft Studio's previous title. Unlike the original game the remake was intended to be released on Steam and in English. Due to technical problems the game was cancelled and FiolaSoft started to work on a new project. One of team members Vojta Stránský previously worked on an platformer game but made only a prototype. The prototype interested other members of FiolaSoft so they started to work on it and named it Blackhole. Blackhole was announced in March 2014 at Game expo 2014 in Bratislava. Developers also started a Steam Greenlight campaign and in May 2014 the game was Greenlit.
The Game was originally scheduled for September 2014 but was delayed for 20 December. The release was later delayed once again for 20 January and then for 20 February. The game was finally released on 27 February.
Developers started to work on a DLC after the release of the original game. The DLC is named Testing Laboratory and has been released on 19 May 2015. It serves as a Prequel to the original game and tells the story about how Coffee Guy gained his position in the Endera mission.
Developers released a free expansion The Secret of Entity on July 13, 2015. The expansion adds 12 new hardcore levels set right after the end of the original game when the Captain finds out that Endera is low of fuel.
Plot
The game is set in 2121. Earth is threatened by Black holes. Group of astronauts is sent on a mission to neutralise these black holes. Their effort is successful until their ship is swallowed by one of a massive black hole. Player takes control of ship‘s coffee-maker assistant (developers and the crew call him Coffee Guy) who is accompanied with the ship’s artificial intelligence loaded into a PDA. Now he has to collect nanobots called Selfburns to repair the ship and find the rest of the Crew.
Gameplay
Blackhole is a classical 2D platformer. Player's task is to collect Selfburns. He has to collect at least one in every level to complete it. If he collects all Selfburns in the level his time is saved. Player can try to get a better time in each level if he collects all selfburns. Even though player need only one selfburn in every level, he also has to reach a certain number of collected Selfburns to finish the game.
The game contains 6 Acts such as Cave, Jungle or Desert. Every act is set in a different environment an includes different puzzles or objects. Jungle for example includes trampolines and desert includes pushable crates. All acts include special platform that change gravity.
The free DLC, The secret of the entity, has the player collecting special dark selfburns to fuel the spaceship Endera in even harder levels, 2 in each Act.
Reception
The game has received generally positive reviews from critics. It currently has a rating of 82% at Metacritic.
Destructoid gave the game 9/10 praising the gameplay that requires thinking as well as platform skills. The review also praised the writing even though "it could be delivered in a more convenient fashion."