We attended the presentation of Aces of the Multiverse, a Gammera Nest title that collaborates with XPLORA and is part of the PlayStation Talents program.
Last Thursday, December 12, we attended the presentation of Aces of the Multiverse. This is one of the projects that are part of the PlayStation Talents program, a selection of games for which the Spanish division of Sony has opted. It is a 3D football title set in space and that has touches of science fiction. Developed by the Spanish studio Gammera Nest and with the special collaboration of XPLORA (smartwatch for children), it proposes a series of measures to promote physical activity in children through virtual rewards.
A simple and original proposal, with a good purpose
Gammera Nest is a company founded in 2013 whose objective is to create transversal narratives that combine the interactivity of video games with diverse cultural areas. In this case, they move somewhat away from their usual line (more focused on 2D titles) to carry out a project born from a group of students from the Complutense University of Madrid. In addition, the fact of collaborating with XPLORA means that they can provide the product with a new dimension.
As we have advanced, Aces of the Multiverse has a system to enhance physical exercise among young players. The game itself is intended for children and has some touches of science fiction of the 70s to please also fathers and mothers as long as they play together. Among the inspirations they have had when creating the game, they mention classic sources such as H.G. Wells, Encounters in the third phase, Futurama, Phillip K Dick and even Rick and Morty.
As for the playability of Aces of the Universe, it is a soccer arcade in which we can make passes, shots on target, ram and even use magic and skills to slow the opponent. In our game session we were able to try 3 games of the story mode, which has a simple plot and some diverse and original characters, and some extra games in the versus mode against other partners in local mode. The feeling that leaves us is similar to the one we had when playing titles like Animal Soccer years ago, where football is the central theme and the controllable characters are fun anthropomorphic beings.
In addition to a multiplayer game system that features various alien species (up to 3 races: bears, mutants and aliens) with up to 21 characters in total that have their own abilities, we can also find a special card system. These cards can be character, horse riding or events and are classified into three categories: common, rare and special.
The way to obtain them is through the XPLORA system mentioned above. Thanks to the pedometer containing the devices of said brand, the data obtained from the physical activity developed by the players will be sent to the user's profile of the game, thus transforming into a series of collectible cards that reward the sport performed.
“Aces of the Multiverse is a very special game because, in addition to being an original game in itself, it transcends its own borders and jumps to the real world where it encourages, in a gamified way, physical activity (…) In PlayStation we support projects such as this and many other titles with a social background to improve society, ”says Jorge Huget, Marketing Director of PlayStation Spain in a press release.
As for our playable impressions, we must point out that the control of the game feels somewhat rough and it is complex to take control at the beginning, something that could be an important entry barrier for the less skilled audience. On the other hand, the general simplicity of the game makes it not a title for those who want the product to be polished in detail. Even so, from the development team they promise that throughout the year 2020 they will launch a series of free updates and patches to keep the game updated.
Aces of the Multiverse is now available on the PS4 PlayStation Store for a reduced price of € 14.99. It can be played with or without the XPLORA device and is translated into up to 5 languages in addition to Spanish, something that makes clear the intention of the study to expand the title beyond national limits.
