THE ADVENTURES OF SCHRÖDINGER’S CAT @I52

At I52, we caught up with Kevin Beimers from Italic Pig, the creator/director of the game in question, to get our hands on their new upcoming title that has caught Team17’s interest for their Third Party Publishing program.

You don’t need a degree to play it, but it will definitely help you along the way…

Most folk would be rather familiar with the famous thought experiment – Schrodinger’s Cat.  The illustration involves a radioactive source, a geiger counter, a poison flask and of course – the famous penned up feline. The concept is a touchstone in many introduction to quantum mechanics classes, and is brought up time to time even in less than academic and social settings.

The interpretation of quantum mechanics poses one of the most contemplated questions in physics – When does a quantum system stop existing as a superposition of states and collapse into one or the other, and begin to exhibit a unique classical description? If this, as fate would have it, exists as an important scope of your academic progress and you haven’t understood it yet, it comes highly recommended that you turn to your books now.

But I can’t tell you what to do, neither can your professor – or your mom. Pfft, read on and soak up that brain juice. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t grasp an inkling of that, too. “You don’t need a degree to play it, but it will definitely help you along the way,”.  Much like how you don’t need to be a surgeon to enjoy Surgeon Simulator, you don’t need to be a physicist to enjoy this.

Schrödinger’s Cat: Raiders Of The Lost Quark

“Schrödinger’s Cat starts out being established as hero of the quantum universe and he has been shrunk to the size of atom to deal with the fallout of a crisis that happened at the Particle Zoo,”explained Beimers, “ and the Particle Zoo is a physics that deals with the Standard Model – all the little bits and pieces that makes up our universe.”

In this game, many of these particles are personified or anthropomorphized into creatures that either help you or hurt you. Schrödinger’s Cat runs around the levels to collect these quarks, which ends up following you like a walking fruit salad.

Through collecting Quarks, small little “soldiers” of the subatomic universe,  Schrödinger’s Cat makes use of them to create temporary matter essential to transverse through the levels. A total of 6 different quarks can be found within the game – one of them that have yet to be revealed. Quarks are not limited to utility; some combinations are used to combat the leptons, gluons, bosons and other particle-sized creatures that are wreaking havoc across the Particle Zoo – including the evil Antiquarks.

Beimer also revealed that some of these puzzles are “limited by scarcity”  of the quarks you’ve collected. He also drew connections to the games Oddworld in terms of the story and “their weirdness” and Lemmings; where “we just give you a grab bag of goodies and say – there’s the exit, you’re on your own.”

Rather than a typical linear approach that is common in many platformers, Raiders Of The Lost Quark promises a sandbox style that spans the main areas of the Particle Zoo; the Promenade and the three Enclosures –   which contains a myriad of deliciously brain melting puzzles incorporated in these environments for players to tackle. You also control the quarks and the Schrödinger’s Cat differently, the Cat with “WASD” and the Quarks with the Arrow keys.

Beimer also addressed a highlight on narrative content, and that he is  “a big fan of dialogue and characterisation”. As a result, the dialogue in Schrödinger’s Cat will feature  roundabout ways to go through a conversation, and for the folk that detest all the hubbub – the “down” choices will end the conversations much faster.

THE ADVENTURES OF SCHRÖDINGER’S CAT

Probabilities of Sequels?

You probably might have guessed from the title “Adventures of Schrödinger’s Cat” that this title isn’t the only adventure our feline friend will be embarking on. Raiders Of The Lost Quark is merely the first instalment of Schrödinger’s Cat. While Italic Pig does have planned sequels, Beimer said “until they’re released, I’m guessing that we can say that – it’s both possible and impossible”.

… I’ll show myself out.

Schrödinger’s Cat: Raiders Of The Lost Quark is scheduled for a 23^rdSeptember 2014 release on Steam. Meanwhile, you can check out other titles in Team17’s third party publishing program – The Escapist and Penarium.

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About Italic Pig

Italic Pig is an independent developer that “joined subatomic forces” with Team17 back in April 2014. They’re not a Studio, so a mailing address is unavailable. More information can be found  here. They’re also responsible for the grown-up point and click trilogy Hector: Badge of Carnage.