Now available on PC and consoles, the latest Smurfs adventure can be experienced in both single-player and two-player modes. Here, we explain how you and a buddy can join forces (or play tricks on each other) in this epic quest against the villainous Gargamel...
A fantastic franchise for shared experiences
Playing with a friend in The Smurfs – Dreams is a piece of cake: simply choose between Solo and Co-op at the start of the game. Before setting off to explore, each team mate can visit Tailor Smurf to pick a costume. Whether you go for the firefighter, the karate or the luchador outfit, see who has the smurfest look!
“The co-op mode was an obvious choice for us, because The Smurfs is a franchise for all ages that brings together families and friends,” explained Thomas Freund, Lead Level Designer at Ocellus Studio. “What’s more, when we designed Marsupilami: Hoobadventure, we got a lot of requests from players for a co-op mode.”
So the development team included a multi-player dimension right from the outset of the project, with the aim of creating an experience that’s just as satisfying in solo and co-op mode. “If any of the gameplay features didn’t work in one of the two modes, we scrapped it,” stated Thomas.
Work together… or play pranks
Together, we’re stronger! When playing in co-op, you can collect objects faster in the mini-games, for example. You can also improve your defense by jumping on enemies chasing your buddy. Or you can each take a different task: in Vanity Smurf’s dream, the players turn into a tetromino, with one controlling movement while the other controls rotation.
The Smurfs – Dreams is all about communicating with your team mate: “If you’re both standing on a platform that will disappear when one jumps off, then you need to coordinate to avoid one of you taking a fall,” pointed out Thomas. But you can be mischievous if you feel like it too! From the hammer that squashes everything flat to the magic lantern that makes the ground disappear, there are plenty of opportunities to pester your partner! 😉
However you choose to play, it’s clear that both players are equally important in the co-op mode in The Smurfs – Dreams. This was very important for Ocellus Studio. “We did a lot of fine tuning to make sure that a player who’s lagging behind their partner doesn’t feel left out,” told us Thomas. “We did this, for example, by making the camera zoom out to allow the player to stay on the screen for long enough before being teleported to their partner.”
The time has come to smurf your forces!
Oodles of fun, a sprinkling of tricks and zero frustration: this is what the team were aiming to serve up with the co-op mode in The Smurfs – Dreams, available now. “I think that players are going to have a lot of fun in co-op mode,” concluded Thomas. “The feedback was very positive at events like Gamescom and Games Made in France, as well as from the playable demo. We put a lot of work into making the experience as enjoyable as possible.”
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https://store.steampowered.com/app/2602020/The_Smurfs__Dreams/
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