Ontos devs explain rat server gameplay

Thomas Grip, Creative Director at Frictional Games, explained that after over a decade of development, the team is excited to showcase the gameplay in depth. Ontos is not built around a tight, moment-to-moment action loop. Instead, it offers a slower experience focused on researching, testing, and making critical choices. Grip noted that conveying this intended feel in a short video is challenging, but a 10-minute gameplay reveal helps players understand the game's unique rhythm.

The core of Ontos involves encountering complex experiments, each with its own setup, questions, and philosophical dilemmas. In the newly shared footage, players meet a character named Crombie, who claims to be trapped in a computer server made of rats. The game begins with exploring nearby locations filled with information that helps players understand the people and issues involved. These areas often contain small experiments, such as a strapped-in rat, which serve as a preview of the difficulties ahead. Players can test theories and make mistakes before facing the main experiments.

Another early character is Zike, heard briefly over an intercom. Zike is described as a man obsessed with finding the soul. Understanding characters like Zike is not just lore for fun; it is a critical part of the gameplay. The better players understand how a character works, the more informed their decisions become. Sometimes, the best approach is to avoid certain questions or give answers contrary to one's own feelings to achieve the intended results.

The reveal also features the "Rat Server" setup, which Grip described as a catalyst for deeper thoughts. The idea is to make a person from something highly unlikely. While simulating a person with a computer is easy to accept in the modern era, having 60 rats strapped to a server rack is a harder concept to swallow. The developers hope these setups provoke questions about consciousness: Are the rats conscious too? Can two conscious beings inhabit the same physical substrate? This is intended to be a taste of the philosophical depth Ontos aims to provide.

After meeting Crombie or the rat server, players engage in an experiment involving delicate manipulation of probes on the character's head. This scene presents many options: players can follow instructions or try other things based on what they have seen and read. The goal is to create tension by mixing goals, unclear instructions, and the risk of failure. Experiments can end in many ways, and it is never clear what the options are, which makes the game highly replayable. The more players play, the more they understand, and the clearer their approaches become.

Ontos is scheduled to arrive on PS5 in 2027, and players can add it to their wishlist now.