Indie publisher Mixtvision and developer Lance have announced their newest project, Onde, today. Revealed alongside a variety of other experimental indie titles during Steam’s “Next Fest”, Onde is set to launch on PC next month, with an iOS and Nintendo Switch launch planned for later this year.
Onde is part puzzle-platformer, part relaxing rhythm game. Using just its extremely gorgeous visuals and lovely originally scored soundtrack, it will tell an intricate story throughout your adventure through various abstract and colourful destinations. By creating waves, players will follow ephemeral paths through these beautiful worlds that range from dark underground caverns to bright outer space. At each new area, players will be introduced to new mechanics that will expand on the base gameplay of creating riding waves made of sound and light.
While not designed as a mental health or meditation app specifically, Onde is meant to be a peaceful game that will help you to forget about the business of daily life and ease into a nearly painting like world, with an equally relaxing soundtrack to back that up. The simple yet clever gameplay mechanics with slowly progressive difficulty will keep the game engaging, but also keep you from worrying about getting your next high score or speed record. This is a title that you will want to ease into after a stressful day, a game to resonate with and simply play to be a part of the lovely ride.
Interestingly enough, Onde actually began as a small project made at the Global Game Jam 2017 event hosted in France, where the developers met for the first time and tossed around the core mechanic of the game, surfing and creating waves of sound. Due to the striking art style, the title attracted lots of attention at various PAX events and was selected for awards and festivals like IndieCade, the Prix Arte Creative at Indie Game Contest 2017 or the Indie Prize London 2018.
Unfortunately, the title’s iOS release date is still unclear, scheduled only for a “late 2022” timeframe. However given the visuals, let alone the wonderfully relaxing gameplay, it sounds like it might just be worth the wait. To keep up with Onde, give its Twitter or Facebook a gander and stay tuned for that release date!
Looking for more mobile games that will help you to destress and take a breather? Check out our Top 25 best relaxing games for Android phones and tablets!
