The sci-fi puzzle game made by ex-Blizzard devs just got its first trailer, demonstrating intricate puzzles and cool landscapes
Causal Loop is a new first-person puzzler with a sci-fi setting from Mirebound, a team of ex-Blizzard developers. While there’s been something of a resurgence in puzzle games as of late, Causal Loop seeks to set itself apart from the herd by providing puzzles that don’t just work as obstacles to progression but as a way to decide how you will progress.
“Unlike traditional branching narratives, Causal Loop embeds its choice-driven design directly into gameplay,” according to the press release. “The puzzles are expressions of decision-making instead of just obstacles. Every action becomes part of an evolving timeline, where small miscalculations can cascade into complete failure.”
It’s a neat way to make puzzles matter a bit more to the story progression and not just feel like a throwaway hurdle that you have to leap over once and then forget about for the rest of the game.
Another seemingly cool feature is echoes. In a commentary video, the developers explain what this actually means: “Players use their ability to create up to three echoes of their past selves. This ability allows players to record their actions in the game and replay them in synchronised loops.”
So while there’s only one of you completing the puzzles at times, you’ll have to coordinate multiple actions.
But this power won’t just help players solve puzzles—it can also mess things up for your future self if you don’t consider every possibility and how your actions can affect the things around you.
“It doesn’t just impact the present, it sends ripples across the entire sequence that might only become clear later,” the press release says. “The result is a puzzle system where the player’s agency is absolute, but so is their responsibility.”
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Puzzles aside, the story and location also look pretty interesting. Set on an alien planet, you play as an exo-archeologist named Bale who spent the better part of his life unearthing lost civilisations and finding the secrets they left behind. This is what brings you to Tor Ulsat, the planet full of puzzles.
From what is shown in the trailer, it looks like your average alien planet, but the graphics are pretty.
“With the help of experienced industry artists and our first intern, we’ve elevated the audiovisual quality to a professional standard,” the devs say. Unreal Engine 5 was also used, including Lumen’s advanced lighting technology.
All in all, it looks like an exciting venture and one that the devs have every confidence in.
“We believe in Causal Loop’s success because of the high demand for first-person puzzle games, which currently remain underrepresented,” said creative director Kai Moosmann.
