Velocibox preview: a running game that’s actually tough (Casual Connect Asia 2014)

Velocibox is all kinds of crazy. First seen at Casual Connect Asia 2014, this running game from Malaysian developers Shawn Beck and JT Yean, brings a minimalist yet over-the-top approach to a game mechanic now as common as equatorial heat in Southeast Asia.

In Velocibox, you’re in control of a box moving at high speed along a grid. This grid is populated by various obstacles that jut out of the walls. But instead of jumping or sliding the box, you’ve got to flip it onto its side and onto either of its surrounding walls to avoid the obstacle. Of course, your entire point of view switches, too.

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It’s a simple game, but one that’s guaranteed to frustrate. Developer Beck said that mobile games today don’t challenge him, and that Yean and he wanted to make a game that “introduces death early on to let players know the value of the game.”

When your point of view switches, so does your perception of the obstacles, so you need a dogged attention to detail and lightning reflexes to play Velocibox. It’s definitely not a game for casual gamers. Each course’s speed starts off at “insane” and doesn’t let up.

New obstacles and new moves for your box appear as you progress through the game’s nine levels, and eventually you’ll be required to perform miracles like jumping through double bars in order not to crash and burn. Hitting an obstacle forces you to start from the beginning.

Velocibox is being developed for the Playstation Vita and will be a premium game, albeit one with a low price point. It’s expected to complete development in about two months time.