Two-player ballet with iOS, Android game Bounden
This is "the most elegant" Bounden dance routine that took place at GDC, according to Game Oven designer Adriaan de Jongh and producer Eline Muijres. Sure, they may say that to every person who grabs the other half of de Jongh's iPhone, but it still feels special.
Bounden is a two-player game that uses a smartphone gyroscope to make players dance together. A reticle takes center stage on the phone screen, perched on top of a sphere. That sphere spins, bringing around lines of circles that have to match up with the reticle – with two players holding opposite ends of the phone, that means moving together in smooth, complex ballet moves.
Bounden is made in collaboration with the Junior Company of the Dutch National Ballet – actual, professional dancers helped craft its moves, and it shows in the game's inherent grace. Take a look at some making-of videos here.
Game Oven is committed to building mobile games that encourage physical interaction, as its previous titles (Fingle, Bam fu) demonstrate. The studio describes Bounden as a mix of Twister and ballet.
Bounden is due out on May 21 for iOS and Android phones (not tablets, because that would be terribly inelegant).
[Images: Joystiq, Game Oven]
