Oasis (video game)
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''Oasis'' is a
turn-based strategy A turn-based strategy (TBS) game is a Strategy video game, strategy game (usually some type of wargaming, wargame, especially a wargaming#Unit or map scale, strategic-level wargame) where players take Time-keeping systems in games, turns when pla ...
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by American studio
Mind Control Software The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...
and
published Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
by
PlayFirst PlayFirst, Inc. is a Delaware based publisher of casual games founded in 2004 by industry veterans. PlayFirst produced the ''Diner Dash'' series, which won the 2008 Annual Casual Game Awards. and has seen over 550 million downloads. The popularit ...
in April 2005.
Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
released a
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
port in 2006. Mind Control reacquired rights to the game from PlayFirst in 2010 and released an
iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
version called ''Defense of the Oasis'' that same year. On August 25, 2020, the iPad version was published on
Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
. ''Oasis'' is a
casual game A casual game is a video game targeted at a mass market audience, as opposed to a hardcore game, which is targeted at hobbyist gamers. Casual games may exhibit any type of gameplay and genre. They generally involve simpler rules, shorter sessio ...
set in ancient Egypt that combines ''
Civilization A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). Ci ...
''-style strategy and
puzzle A puzzle is a game, Problem solving, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together (Disentanglement puzzle, or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at th ...
gameplay. ''Oasis'' has been described as "''Civilization'' meets ''
Minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
''".


Gameplay

Each level of ''Oasis'' consists of a single screen with a 10x10 grid of randomly generated terrain. Initially the map is covered with
fog of war The fog of war (german: links=no, Nebel des Krieges) is the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding one's own capability, adversary capability, ...
, but the player may remove the fog from tiles by clicking on them. Each click reveals a single tile and takes a turn; 85 turns are available for each level. The eponymous
oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
covers several squares of each level and lying in a random oasis tile is the
obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...
which contains the level's
glyph A glyph () is any kind of purposeful mark. In typography, a glyph is "the specific shape, design, or representation of a character". It is a particular graphical representation, in a particular typeface, of an element of written language. A g ...
of power. The primary goal is to find the glyph and protect it from
barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...
who attack after the 85th turn from tiles marked by blue
cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...
s. To stop the barbarians from destroying the glyph the player must find cities and use them to mount a defense. The player wins the game by finding and defending 12 glyphs. Layered on top of the basic gameplay are eight scenarios. Each scenario presents a narrative about a different land and the story of a different leader rising to power. In the first scenario players assume the role of an Egyptian noble, the son of the murdered Falcon King, who wishes to rebuild the nation and disperse the fog that has plunged the nation into chaos since his father's murder. Each scenario has its own theme, and each level within a scenario is distinguished by a mix of special gameplay elements related to the theme, such as barbarian strongholds, jungles, islands, plagues, and others. Most tiles give the player a number of followers when revealed. Followers are a resource; the player may spend them to build roads or send them to work in the mines. Both activities also cost a turn. Cities connected by roads gradually grow whereas followers working in mines research combat technology. Both benefits accrue over time, which encourages early investments in mines and roads. Turns can also be spent searching cities which reveals either treasures or advisors. Most treasures provide an attack bonus to the population in that city. When found, advisors pledge to join the player if enough cities survive the barbarian attack. Advisors grant bonuses to the player and substantially alter playing strategy. With 100 tiles and just 85 turns, the player cannot hope to uncover every tile. However, the map is not entirely random. Certain features are present on every or nearly every map: the oasis, cairns, cities, the nomad camp, and mountains. There are clues to finding each feature: the oasis and cairns always appear on the edge, cities are surrounded on all eight sides by crop tiles, the nomad camp appears in the largest block of desert, mountains can be seen from one square away, and mountain ranges are either 'U' shaped, 'S' shaped, or stretch vertically across the map. As an additional clue to finding cities, the number of cities touching a crop tile is the number of followers gained when the tile is uncovered. This sometimes results in being able to find cities in fewer clicks by solving a small ''Minesweeper''-like puzzle. The central tension of the game comes from making trade offs. Players always have more avenues to improve their positions than they have time and resources to pursue them, especially when it comes to spending limited turns and followers. For example, spending turns on exploration provides followers and strategic information, but it delays roads and technology which benefit from early investments. Connecting a far away city could result in net population growth, but it may take valuable time away from searching for a crucial treasure or cairn. Searching the oasis costs turns and gives no immediate value, but it boosts the player's score and leads to bonus levels, which often result in a free glyph and advisor.


Development

''Oasis'' took eight full-time developers two years and five months to make. The game design was based around a "No bad click" philosophy. As one of the game's designers puts it: "A level consists of 85 carrots and one big stick. The player takes 85 turns discovering and rebuilding his or her empire, where every turn creates some kind of goodness."


Reception

''Oasis'' received largely positive reviews from the gaming press, received awards from the independent gaming community and has been ported to
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
by
Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
. In July 2010, Electrified Games released an
iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
version of ''Oasis'' renamed as ''Defense of the Oasis'' to avoid confusion with the English rock band
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
. Reviewers agreed that the game is easy to pick up and play whilst containing depth of gameplay. Female gamer website Grrl Gamer described the game as "one part puzzle and one part strategy",Oasis review at GrrlGamer
/ref> Game Tunnel stated "''Oasis'' packs a very powerful punch of both strategy and entertainment". Game Daily's reviewer disagreed, describing ''Oasis'' as "the perfect game for those times when you need to do something mindless and silly" and that there is no need to plan moves before taking them. Website Game Tunnel's founder Russell Carroll rated the game 10 out of 10 overall, summing-up the review by stating "The game is flawlessly designed to create a wonderful experience in strategy/world-building that even those who don't really get into the genre can enjoy" and "''Oasis'' is one of the best gaming experiences I've had this year". In ''
Computer Games Magazine ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...
'', Steve Bauman called the game "simple, but hardly simplistic". Although he noted its "over-reliance on luck", he nonetheless found that it "offers up surprisingly deep and interesting strategy", and argued that "there's some serious fun to be had with ''Oasis''". ''Oasis'' received Game Tunnel's 2005 "Game of the Year" and "Strategy Game of the Year" awards. The game also won the
Independent Games Festival The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of the independent video game industry. Originally founded in 1998 to promote independent video game developers, ...
's 2004 "
Seumas McNally Grand Prize The Seumas McNally Grand Prize is the main award given at the Independent Games Festival (IGF), an annual event that takes place during the Game Developers Conference, one of the largest gatherings of the indie video game industry. The award is na ...
" and "Innovation in
Game Design Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...
" awards in the web/downloadable category.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oasis (2005) 2005 video games Independent Games Festival winners Indie games IOS games Mind Control Software games Mobile games PlayFirst games Puzzle video games Seumas McNally Grand Prize winners Single-player video games Video games set in antiquity Video games set in Egypt Windows games