InOutPath

"In Out Path" is a puzzle-solving game where you control a cat on a journey to find redemption. However, various birds will block your progress along the way. As animals can only travel along certain paths, you need to use mechanisms that can change the positional relationships between animals to construct a safe path. The game consists of 7 chapters, each with different themed landscapes and music. It offers over 20 different mechanisms and more than 300 levels.

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Game Features:

Our game's core gameplay revolves around "position swapping". The first chapter introduces the basic game mechanics: moving paths and red birds. Moving paths are mechanisms that cause a path to move when an animal touches them. Red birds act as enemies for the cat - if the cat touches a red bird, it fails. Through the use of switches and moving paths, players can change the positional relationship between the cat and the birds to create a safe path for the cat to pass through.

In subsequent levels after the first chapter, the game presents various variations of moving paths, including rotation, stretching, and multi-segment path swapping. However, each variation is not too difficult and serves more as a showcase and guide. The difficulty gradually increases in the last few levels of the first chapter. The puzzle elements are clearly displayed on the map, and there is no need to search for hidden items. The focus is more on testing the player's logical reasoning in applying the existing mechanisms.



In the second chapter, the game introduces multiple new mechanisms while continuing the design style of the first chapter. Each mechanism is introduced in a few small levels to teach its basic usage, and the real challenge comes in the later levels. This design allows players to smoothly experience most of the content in each chapter while still providing a certain level of challenge. It feels like slicing vegetables before facing the ultimate boss.



Most puzzle games are confined to a 2D plane, but our game incorporates "3D stereoscopic" as an important part of puzzle design from the beginning. The third chapter introduces a jumping mechanism. The cat can perform long-range jumps using a swing. It can jump over birds on flat ground and onto higher ground on maps with elevated terrain. The maps of the first two chapters can be considered as a 2D plane, but starting from the third chapter, the game officially enters a three-dimensional world. New puzzle-solving methods like aerial collisions and switching between different levels of terrain liberate players from the constraints of a 2D world and truly immerse them in a three-dimensional game. We believe that breaking free from the limitations of the 2D plane can lead to the creation of better games.



The fourth chapter introduces a special bird - the purple bird. The cat can exert a force on the purple bird to move it closer or farther away. This mechanic is similar to pushing boxes, but it is different from the traditional box-pushing mechanic. The operation of exerting force remotely requires players to have control over the position between the cat and the purple bird. Combined with the three-dimensional multi-level maps, players have to consider more factors compared to simple 2D box-pushing.



Starting from the fifth chapter, the game introduces many elements that require operational skills, such as snowballs and timers that require calculating time. The wind blowing mechanism in the sixth chapter and the duplication mechanism in the seventh chapter also require a certain level of player skill. However, we have added teleportation houses as a mechanism with classic "position swapping" functionality to add flavor. Although these levels require operational skills, we have tried to provide players with a certain margin of error, as we want operation to be just a seasoning, with logical reasoning being the main course of the game.



After completing the regular levels, players face the challenge of the expansion levels in each chapter. Although the expansion levels are unlocked after completing the regular levels of each chapter, they are significantly more difficult. If the regular levels are like playing "Dynasty Warriors," then the expansion levels are like playing "Dark Souls." Clearly, the regular levels only act as appetizers, while the expansion levels reveal the true nature of the game. This is why the regular levels may give a feeling of showcasing and guiding the player.

However, the expansion levels do not introduce new mechanisms or require the use of existing mechanisms in new ways to complete the levels. The content of the game consists of various combinations of existing mechanisms from the regular levels. It's like a teacher teaching you mathematical formulas and now expecting you to use these formulas to solve various problems.



The characteristics of the game can be summarized as follows:
1. The game progresses from a 2D plane to a 3D plane with operational elements, gradually demanding more cognitive and operational skills from the players, creating a basic difficulty curve.
2. The regular levels ensure a rhythm of unlocking new mechanisms at regular intervals, providing a continuous sense of freshness.
3. The final few levels of the regular levels are relatively difficult, ensuring a certain degree of challenge.
4. Most of the challenging levels are reserved for the expansion levels, allowing most players to smoothly experience the game while retaining depth.



Furthermore, getting stuck is a normal situation in puzzle games. To assist players who get stuck, we have implemented a hint system in the game. The hint system provides a simple gameplay recording for players to reference. Players can see the key points of completing the current level in the video recording. We hope that players can comfortably enjoy the game without feeling frustrated by being stuck on a particular level.



With our sincere love for puzzle games, we have created "In Out Path", hoping to convey our passion to every player and let more people experience the joy of puzzle games.