TeamODD ODDRroom is a fast-paced, agile first-person shooter focused on traversal, quick thinking and, above all, keeping players guessing. Its premise lends itself well to achieving each of these goals: ODDRooM consists of players battling through a series of lucid dreams containing virtually every environment or creature the developers could imagine. For a small but creative studio like TeamODD, using dreams as the basis for a first-person shooter is an idea worth pursuing.
In an interview with Game Rant, the developers at TeamODD discussed the team's initial reasoning for choosing dreams as a creative structure and the benefits this brings to the table. Notably, these disjointed dreams have given developers unparalleled freedom to explore a wide range of ideas, resulting in a unique indie game that offers dozens of scenarios that would otherwise never have been seen in the same title.
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Anything can happen in the lucid dream levels of ODDRooM
As a small studio made up of four developers, TeamODD faces a similar challenge to that faced by many of the best indie games of recent times. Limited manpower and resources require exceptional ideas and innovations as the team cannot rely on big-budget cinematic sequences, gigantic open worlds and top-notch voice actors to attract audiences. TeamODD says working with dreams fosters a creative atmosphere in the studio that leads to unique ideas.
We believed that the unlimited concept of “dream” would allow our developers to come up with more ideas, and since there was no real concept guiding them, they were able to communicate freely and develop… For example, a plane crashing, a medieval castle, a roof-to-floor battle and other game environments are not often found in realistic or sci-fi FPS games. You probably dreamed of falling from a great height, traveling into the past, and finding yourself in a place you recognize but don't know where. ODDRooM is a dream world.
Even the best first-person shooters are bound by their themes, with realistic tactical shooters with real-world weapons or sci-fi shooters like Destiny requiring a certain internal coherence to remain credible. Since dreams are largely unbelievable, the only rule ODDRroom must follow is that there are no rules. Anything can appear in a dream, and TeamODD's options are limited only by the imagination of the developers.
The variety of enemies in ODDRooM has no limits
This leads to an amazing variety of sequences behind each door ODDRroomthe hub area of the villa. One dream might see players in a cartoonishly rendered dreamscape battling horrific monsters, while another might see them in a realistic-looking dungeon being chased by a giant rabbit. Additionally, many of these sequences are inspired by common dream scenarios, such as being stuck in a falling plane. TeamODD points out that these environments can differ in 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, like a fairytale world, a futuristic city or a dark nightmare. You will experience different battles in each stage. Initially, only one door is unlocked, but clearing a room will unlock more doors and you will gradually be able to tackle more and more levels. 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 ODDRroomthe assortment of enemies. ODDRroom's gameplay trailer featured creatures that resembled Living Jars Elden Ringwhile the other enemies ranged from whimsical and cutesy to downright terrifying. Even the most fantastical games can become predictable thanks to their consistent themes, however ODDRroom it wants to be a game that never loses the element of surprise.
ODDRroom is currently in development for PC.
