FusionPoint is a 3D platformer game that is being developed using the Unreal 4 Engine by the FusionPoint team. There is an alpha of the game now available for download, the links will be provided here and at the end of the post.

I found out about the game from Jackspecticeye when he covered the game on his channel a few weeks ago. The game looked so good that I just had to check it out for myself! You can check out their developmental process into the game so far right here, on their developmental blog (devblog). You can even check out their twitter instead if you prefer.

At its core, FusionPoint is 3D third-person platformer that has jumping, wall-running and dashing mechanics with the main emphasis of fluid gameplay. Their game pitch states that there is no combat in FusionPoint and instead focuses on “transversal of the environment”.

While waiting for the download to finish, I had a quick look over of their devblog to see their creative/developmental process. This lead to me finding their pitch document which was really interesting to read. The document goes into detail about the concept of the game, giving references for the art style they were hoping to create for the game (environment/character) and finally, the core gameplay elements for FusionPoint. I have seen plenty of devblogs but being able to read and download the game pitch document, was a first for me. I actually was under the impression that the development team may be students. Simply because the pitch document reminded me of the game programming course I took in Singapore, where we had to write and present our game pitches. They may even be students, who knows?

Besides noticing the beautiful main menu, I saw that in the settings that all options for graphics were default set to the highest possible setting, which in this case was on epic. If you are planning to play the alpha build, you will want to keep that in mind just in case. I was already forewarned about this by realityvoid who has covered the game as well, on his YouTube channel. You can check out his video on FusionPoint right below. I wish that the settings included a way to see the controls for the game, since I somehow managed to completely miss the fact the controls were provided on the download page. I still have no idea how I managed to miss that, oh well, a little guesswork never hurt anyone.

It is actually unclear in the beginning where players are meant to go from the get-go. As you just start off immediately in the level hub, with your back to the door that leads to the tutorial. I honestly cannot see how players would know that the tutorial was behind them. I can only see it happening two ways: either they ran to the door behind them out of curiosity, or they figured which was the jump button and seeing the sign to the tutorial level during their exploration of the level hub.

Speaking of the tutorial level; if you are planning on trying the alpha using only your keyboard and mouse, make sure to read the controls on the download page. The tutorial gives instructions how to play the game for controllers only. I cannot speak for others, but for me, I rather use the keyboard and mouse as that is what I am most comfortable with. Using the controller is not very second-nature to me as using the keyboard and mouse is, so attempting to use the controller for this game felt too unnatural for me. Hopefully in the future builds, there will be a way for you to choose your key bindings/control scheme (keyboard or controller) and the tutorial can reflect on your choice in the settings.

Anyways, moving on! The soundtrack that the team chose really fits well into the game; it is soothing while reflecting the environmental designs they were aiming for. I found it hard to get frustrated at the game while redoing certain portions over and over again (mainly because I was trying to get a good screenshot mid-air rather than poor timing) because I simply found the music too relaxing. If they ever release a soundtrack for this game, I would definitely be buying.

Speaking of environmental designs, I have to say I loved the visual art design they have chosen for the game. The style they chosen works extremely well as a 3D environment, where it feels tranquil yet alien and mysterious. The character design was excellent where the avatar is ambiguous, you cannot tell if the character is a human, alien or a robot. The ambiguity along with the design fits so well together, and just ‘clicks’ perfectly with the game’s world. The cape physics in the Unreal 4 Engine looks amazing by the way, and it doesn’t even impact on the game’s frame-rate either. You can have it moving all over the place and the game is still smooth.

The FusionPoint team really achieved their goal in creating a 3D platformer game that has smooth gameplay. This is only in the alpha build stage and everything is so darn smooth! The animations, the controls…EVERYTHING! I think I am in love actually. Having that fluidity makes playing this game such a joy; it really helps with the areas that require precise timing and landing.

FusionPoint reminds me a lot of two games in particular: A Story About My Uncle and Qbeh-1. Both games involved platforming, although Qbeh-1 had a stronger puzzle element to it. While FusionPoint reminded me of the environments, particularly the underground/caves from A Story About My Uncle.

So far in the alpha build, there is only one level available but their devblogs shows that level two is nearly completion. Hopefully that will be included in the alpha because from the screenshots, it looks really good and I want to play it. FusionPoint is definitely going to be a title I will be keeping an eye on. It has great potential and the downloadable build shows the team is up to the task and headed in the right direction. If you are interested in trying FusionPoint for yourself, you can find the download page right here!

Realityvoid’s two cents:

Honestly it’s a great game. The controls and game run and play like smooth water. The concept is easy to grasp and fun to play. The game has a huge amount of promise both through game play and graphics. Also I specifically chose controller since the game looked like it was really compatible with it. With controller the game handles like a beauty and even seems to be made for it