Ukrainian indie studio KHVOYA Games, together with COR Software, have released Scientific Project: Optic, a first-person puzzle game based entirely on the laws of light physics. The project costs 430 UAH and has full Ukrainian localization.
Ukrainian indie studio KHVOYA Games, together with COR Software, have released Scientific Project: Optic, a first-person puzzle game based entirely on the laws of light physics. The project costs 430 UAH and has full Ukrainian localization.
Players must follow the path of optical science through seven different historical eras, from ancient temples to modern high-tech laboratories. The main mechanics are to control rays using mirrors, lenses, prisms and other devices to bypass obstacles and find hidden paths. The developers emphasize that all phenomena, such as reflection, refraction and dispersion, strictly obey the real laws of geometric optics. At the same time, there are no direct clues or task markers in the game, players will have to rely solely on their own experiments.
Scientific Project: Optic was developed by a small team of four: a programmer, two level designers, and a 3D artist. Prior to the full-scale invasion, the studio's funding was provided through outsourcing and interactive architectural visualization. In 2024, KHVOYA Games joined forces with COR Software, which took over the production and publishing of the project.
"Our goal is not just to make games, but to create projects that convey knowledge, inspire scientific curiosity, and pay tribute to the power of the human mind. Scientific Project: Optic is our debut project, created with experience, inspiration, and a sincere love for light," the game's authors note in their release.
The idea for the project originated in 2023. According to the studio's founder, Ivan Buderkevych, he was inspired to create the game by watching videos of popular Ukrainian popular science bloggers, in particular the Nikkatiko and "Damn Rationalist" channels. Initially, the development was conceived as a small educational experiment, but later transformed into a full-fledged story-based game with a professional voice-over that reveals the philosophical and scientific context of each discovery.
