Chariot on PS4: Bringing Gamers Together

Hello everybody! My name is Philippe Dion; I’m the creative lead and also a programmer on Chariot.

For those who don’t know about the game yet, Chariot is a humorous, cooperative, physics-based platformer where a princess and her fiancé need to travel through a network of caves to find a resting place for their dead king, who takes the form of a hypochondriac ghost.

For now, I’m really excited to have this opportunity to share some of Chariot’s vision with you.

Where it Came From

When I first presented the concept of Chariot, I envisioned a different kind of cooperative game. I found that the “co-op” concept in video games often boiled down to having a duplicate of the main character on the screen, resulting most of the time in a competition between players to get the highest score or lead the way.

If you’ve played co-op games before, then I assume you feel the same thing I do when playing with someone who never waits for you and/or who grabs all the rewards: frustration. In many cases, those playing sessions end up with both players leaving the game to play on their own. I wanted to change that with Chariot.

What Makes Chariot a Distinctive Co-Op Game

Collaboration Over Cooperation

In Chariot, the central focus of the gameplay relies in the chariot itself. You just can’t go without it. As such, having a buddy to move it around with you is very helpful. By coordinating the way you both use the ropes, you can pull off some great moves, and it will help you succeed.

Since the chariot alone can collect treasure, both players benefit from skillful maneuvers. Before leaving for adventure, each player can choose one unique gadget to equip, giving everyone a good opportunity to bring something unique to the team. These gadgets are both unique and available to everyone, so when you unlock and upgrade them, you really are doing it for the team.

Another advantage of collaboration is the insurance policy that a second player brings. If your character dies, your buddy can play it safe until you spawn back exactly where they’re located. More chances for the team to succeed!

A Bridge Between Casual and Hardcore Gamers

Although Chariot gets its share of challenging gameplay (those in need of a challenge will certainly find it), it’s built around the concept of giving less-skilled players ways to get by. Most of the time, you can prevent a fall by grabbing onto one of the chariot’s ropes. Having trouble pulling off extreme jumps ? Stay tied to the chariot and let your partner shine. Meanwhile, you can focus on defending the precious loot from the environment’s greedy creatures.

With Chariot, I really wanted to enable a hardcore gamer like me can play with a casual gamer.

A New Environment Revealed

I’m really excited to reveal a new environment we’ve been working on. We call it the Crystal Chasm, and it’s going to have a LOT of cool features. I hope you like it!

If you’d like to stay updated about Chariot, you can follow us at @ChariotGame.

Also, if you’re in the Seattle area next week, we’ll be at PAX Prime in booth 6503 and attendees will get to try out Chariot on PS4.

Thanks for reading!