What the heck is everywhere, the new game from ex-GTA developers?

Remember OverallThe ambitious but vague open world game led by former Grand Theft Auto Producer Leslie Benzies? It’s okay if you don’t. After all, the project only had very brief revelations during last year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live presentation. However, after half a year of silence, developer Build A Rocket Boy (BARB) has pulled back the curtain very slightly with another short teaser trailer. And with previews of the game’s online release, Overall sounds like it has a game within a game reminiscent of Assassin’s Creed Infinity or beginning.

Continue reading: Former GTA Lead’s next open-world game looks ambitious, sounds vaguely AF

At the time of its unveiling Overall was offered as an open-world adventure game with seamless multiplayer. The intention, according to BARB, was to “create this open world that can be expanded in all directions” while also addressing questions of “what it means to represent yourself digitally”. If you’re getting Metaverse vibes, you probably aren’t that far off, as Assistant Game Director Adam Whiting said at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022 that the team “not just have a place to play, but… [to] view, share, create, hang out with friends and much more.” However, how this actually looked in practice remained a mystery. Until now, that is. BARB put on a short clip his YouTube channel indicate mind’s eyea “new blockbuster game in a unique world” with shiny graphics, explosive gunfights and intense chases.

What is the GTA The producer’s new game?

According to a press release mind’s eye will only be available within the free-to-play title Overallwhich “will be in the hands of the players this year”. mind’s eye Specifically, this action-adventure game is “set in a world of futuristic corporations, conspiracy theories, and sinister new technologies.” Imagine something like Quantic Dream’s Detroit: Become Human with more action and you’ll get the idea. But what I think is beginning or the live service hub Assassin’s Creed Infinitywhich will connect multiple games to be that “single entry point” for new players to jump into the famous sneak stab franchise.

But what the hell is that really? Aside from the whim of it being a game within a game, the press release notes that Overall And mind’s eye are “two distinct triple-A products”, the latter being an episodic adventure that will eventually contain a multiplayer component as well as a single-player campaign. Because Overall is that creation platform for players to build their own experiences, sort of like that dreams or Roblox, mind’s eye can be deconstructed and reconstructed to be something else entirely. Which sounds kinda cool, except previews of Overall appears suggest something else.

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Overall might be a little late here

Overall begins with you creating a customizable character and sending them into the hub world of Utropia, a metropolis with towering buildings and plenty of activities for you to take part in. Here you can try a variety of gaming experiences quake-like laser deathmatches to futuristic arcade racing simulators to finally mind’s eye. You can also create your own activity and play a curated selection designed by other players. It sounds complex and interesting, if maybe a little late for the party.

Take IGNpreview of. While the gaming publication only got a glimpse of it mind’s eye in action, IGNis Matt Purslow I took a thorough look at the whole thing Overall. Initially confused as to what the build platform should be, Purslow left equally confused after five hours with BARB. Purslow noted BARB’s “impressive ambition [for a] enormous scope,” but he said that the mish-mash of three different games –dreams, Fourteen daysAnd Roblox– made him perplexed Overall‘s focus and identity.

“It’s a game-making tool, but it’s also a complete, ready-to-use game,” Purslow said at the end of his preview. “Its shooting and driving modes don’t look great, but there’s also a seemingly impressive action game with AAA production values. It’s a social hub and entertainment platform that may or may not be a metaverse. It’s everything, everywhere, all at once, and I’m already worried that his ambition might be beyond his comprehension. And with the seemingly more flexible Unreal Editor for Fourteen days I’m afraid after being introduced to a steady audience of 500 million (who already spend over 40% of their time in player-made rooms). Overall may have lost the race before it even got near the start line.” Ouch.

There are also polygonpreview of, who shares a similarly cautious mood. After spending some time with BARB at the studio’s Edinburgh location, polygonthought Oli Welsh Overall was “a pleasant place”. However, he noted that the core gameplay was pretty basic and “not that much fun”. While the art style also looked “pretty boring”, Welsh found something “fascinating”. Overall was the game’s simple yet powerful creation tool, ARC-adia, which allows players to create game content without the need for any programming knowledge. Even so, Welsh worried that cramming too much into a game could make it feel flat.

kotaku Build A Rocket Boy reached out for comment, but a company spokesman said interview opportunities weren’t currently available.

Continue reading: We are not ready for what is about to happen Fourteen days

So, yeah, it sounds like there’s potential for Overall to be both mechanically and socially compelling. According to the previews, however, the game seems to lack a real sense of individuality in a space that’s slowly becoming saturated with game development platforms. Only time will tell how successful Overall will, but at least it will not use the blockchain or NFTs at all. Hey, you take those silver linings wherever you can get them, right?