Refactor originally popped up on our radar back in 2014 (more specifically, at PAX East 2014), when it was known as Tetropolis. Even back then, the action took place within a Metroidvania-style world that players explored through the eyes of a shape-shifting tetromino. The little guy was deemed inadequate to appear in “The Game,” but his powers gave him the perfect chance to escape.
Fast forward to today, and developer NextGen Pants has announced a partnership with Sony to bring Refactor to the PS4 and PC. Writing on the PlayStation Blog, lead developer Bob Webb expounded a bit more about the game’s mechanics:
For example, the square shape can be used to combat enemies or the line shape to leap great distances. These shapes can be further augmented by special abilities found throughout the world. While these powers are fairly standard for the metroidvania genre, we’ve turned it up a notch and have given you the ability to rearrange the map in a puzzle-like manner.
Set in a world that is a puzzle itself, you can literally turn the world upside down by rearranging the map. The rooms that make up the map can be reordered, moved around and even rotated, all in real time. It is up to you to construct new pathways to previously inaccessible areas, to solve mind-bending puzzles, and to uncover secrets in the world of Refactor.
Refactor will be released for the PC and PS4 sometime later this year.
