Splot is a new game from developer Frozenbyte, the studio that brought us the wonderful fantasy-based action platformer Trine and its sequel Trine 2. Splot is currently in development for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and other platforms, and will be available later this year.

Last week we met with Mikael Haveri, Sales and Marketing Manager for Frozenbyte, who are based in Finland. We found out a bit more about Splot (such as the fact that the game has been in development for four and a half years now), got the chance to see the game in action (on an iPad 3), and even left with a few new friends (awesome, cute and enviable)!

Splot is described as a “modern era fairytale in a playable form.” The story goes that a young fairy called Nettle had an argument with her mother, who warned her that her screaming would make the stars fall from the sky. It turns out that this in in fact exactly what happens, and Nettle leaves her home to try and set this right. Unfortunately she discovers that she can’t reach the stars, and then something surprising happens, a “curious blue creature with a friendly smile” falls out of the sky. Nettle calls him Splot and so the story goes:

Players will then explore the levels as Splot, with Nettle lending a helping hand along the way. She will be helpful in moving objects to assist Splot with continuing in the game. For example, she can move an object to place it over a lava jet, thus preventing Splot from being burnt alive and making it possible for him to use that object to move forward.

As you move through the level you’ll want to collect as many of the stars scattered around as possible. The mechanic used to do this is pretty simple, touch Splot and then pull back, moving the direction of the trajectory arc accordingly to dictate where Splot will land. When you let go, Splot will fly! Now bear in mind that Splot is aimed at children and adults, so it’s simple enough for a child to pick up and play, but also features enough of a challenge for an adult to enjoy it as well.

This challenge comes in the form of combinations. You can use combinations throughout the level, for instance wall jumps, and then compete against your friends by comparing scores on the leaderboard. Each combination you create will leave a constellation behind, showing you how you achieved that particular combination. This means that more experienced gamers can enjoy a competitive edge, while casual gamers can just enjoy completing each level, none of which feature time attack levels to help maintain this casual feel.

Graphically Splot looks excellent, the colours are vibrant, and the levels look like the kind of interesting that will draw you in, while the gameplay promises to challenge you to try ‘just one more level.’ The game is running on Frozenbyte’s own engine, an engine that was created specifically for Trine. Obviously it’s had some upgrades, but it was smooth and responsive as far as we could tell.

Even more exciting news about Splot is that Frozenbyte has designed a Splot plushie. He comes in small (about 10cm) and large (roughly 20cm), and in five different colours: blue, red, green, yellow and pink. Just like his videogame persona, Splot is super friendly and before long was following me home to join my plushie menagerie. The Splot plushie will be available to purchase from Frozenbyte in the future, from a new online shop that will be up and running soon. It’s the kind of plushie that you’ll want to have, so keep an eye out for him soon!

Before we left Cologne, Splot also got the chance to enjoy the beautiful city. Here’s a few photos of what he got up:

Before you go, you can also check out the rest of the new screenshots from Splot below, and stay tuned for more updates soon!

Tags: frozenbyte, gamescom2012, screenshots, splot, trine, trine2