Ontos devs on the centered around a server of ratspsychological gameplay

[A glimpse into the unsettling world of Ontos, where philosophical questions intertwine with experimental horror.]

After over a decade in development, diving deep into the gameplay of Ontos is incredibly exciting. This spiritual successor to Soma isn’s just about jump scares; it’s designed to pose profound philosophical questions to players. The challenge lies in conveying this unique experience in a short video, as the focus isn’t on a constant adrenaline rush but rather a slower-paced journey of research, testing, and ultimately, making critical choices. Now, with a 10-minute gameplay reveal, we can finally start to capture the intended feel of the game.

The core concept revolves around encountering complex experiments, each meticulously crafted with its own set of questions and philosophical dilemmas. In this video, we meet Crombie, a character trapped within a computer server… powered by rats. Or at least, that’s what he claims.

As you can see in the gameplay footage, the experience begins with exploring nearby locations. These areas are rich with information crucial for understanding the people and issues involved. In this instance, there’s even a small-scale experiment featuring a restrained rat, offering a taste of the challenges to come. Players have the opportunity to test theories and make mistakes in these preliminary stages before confronting the main experiment.

Another early character introduced is Zike – heard briefly over an intercom. Zike’s obsession with finding the soul isn’t just flavor text; it’s a critical element of the game. The more you understand a character’s motivations and beliefs, the better equipped you are to make informed decisions. Sometimes, it’s even necessary to avoid certain questions or provide answers that contradict your own feelings to achieve the desired outcome.

Once inside the lab, we finally witness the reveal of the “Rat Server.” This setup is brilliant. The design philosophy was simple: create a scenario that feels inherently improbable. While the concept of someone being simulated by a computer is becoming increasingly common in fiction, the idea of a person’s consciousness being maintained by 60 rats strapped to a server rack is far more unsettling. The hope is that these unusual setups act as catalysts for deeper thought and questioning. Are the rats themselves conscious? Can two distinct conscious beings coexist within the same physical substrate? This brief glimpse offers a taste of what Ontos aims to deliver.

After encountering Crombie (or the rat server, depending on your perspective), it’s time for an experiment. The player must carefully manipulate the probes attached to Crombie’s head. This is where the tension truly ramps up. The player faces a multitude of options: follow instructions precisely or attempt alternative actions based on observations and readings. The goal is to create a tense atmosphere by blending conflicting objectives, ambiguous instructions, and the constant risk of catastrophic failure.

The experiments can conclude in numerous ways, and it’s rarely clear what your options truly are. This ambiguity also contributes to the game’s high replayability. With each playthrough, you gain more understanding, and the paths forward become clearer.