Bionic Bay is a platformer that brings everything players love about the genre into a desolate world where machines meet the essence of life somewhere in the middle. Traversing a puzzling factory, fans will take control of a lone scientist as he is both shaped and assisted by world-altering tools along the way. The core gameplay of Bionic Bay revolves around a small handheld device that can be used to swap almost any item with the player, manipulate gravity, and even slow time to a crawl. One mistake in this world could mark the end of the scientist's journey, yet Bionic Bay allows fans to traverse the traps at their own pace.
In an interview with The Best War Games, Bionic Bay artist and designer Juhana Myllys spoke about the design decisions behind the platformer in more ways than one. With a Steam demo available now, Myllys discussed how the game took shape from conceptualization to the developers' breakneck playtesting. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
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What Makes Bionic Bay's World Worth Exploring
Q: How did Bionic Bay’s strange world influence its platforming and mechanics?
A: It was actually the other way around: First, we had the ideas; the core mechanic, the Swap, a realistically moving human character, and tons of fun mechanics to throw at him. After that, it was about figuring out what kind of world would best support mechanics like this. I felt that if the world were too realistic, some of the most creative or just purely fun ideas might feel out of place. On the other hand, if the world were too weird or abstract, it might be hard to relate to as it just wouldn’t feel real enough.
Q: What challenges were there in ensuring the core jump and dive mechanics felt satisfying?
A: Pretty early on, we decided to emphasize quick and snappy controls instead of realism in character movement. This means that when the main character jumps, he does so almost immediately, without the kind of pre-jump animation you'd see in real life. The same logic applies to every other action, like hitting and dashing. This makes all movement feel instant and responsive.
Our programmer, Xiaofong Huang, handled the technical side of character animation brilliantly. For me, as the level designer, the biggest challenge was making sure all movement felt smooth whenever it visually seemed like it should. That meant smoothing out every irregularity in the terrain. Also, distances between ledges, jumpable platforms, and similar elements had to be placed with great care. All of this required a lot of playtesting and iteration.
Q: Bionic Bay makes a name for itself with its teleportation tool. Was this teleportation integral to Bionic Bay from the start of the project, or was it made along the way?
A: Yeah, the Swap mechanic was basically the first thing we had. Everything was built around it from the very beginning.
Q: The swap mechanic offers some interesting variation and surprise as players explore the world. What was it like designing platforms and levels with this mechanic in mind?
A: It was pretty clear from early on that the Swap mechanic was what I like to call a 'universal game mechanic.' Meaning it’s versatile enough to build an entire game around it, especially a physics-based 2D game. And as we kept developing the game, the mechanic didn’t disappoint! Even after years of development, we kept discovering new ways to use it. Especially in our speedrun-focused online mode, the Swap mechanic has proven to be a truly unique way to move from one point to another faster than you'd expect.
Bionic Bay Encourages Creative Strategies While Giving Players Time to Understand Their Options
Q: Considering how much the tool can do, were there any difficulties in making sure this strange little device didn’t slow down Bionic Bay’s momentum-based platforming?
A: The main idea behind the pacing in Bionic Bay early on was that it should be quite varied in nature. That is, everything the player encounters should feel somewhat surprising. From a pacing perspective, this means sections that demand quick thinking and fast reflexes are followed by slower-paced moments, perhaps a puzzle you can solve at your own rhythm. Also, by design, we encourage players to play the game at their own tempo.
Q: Was Bionic Bay always planned to be a game where speedrunning was encouraged?
A: Not right at the beginning, but soon after we got our main character's movement working in the game, it became clear that speedrunners would love it. Our 'Agile but Fragile' approach to the character's movement strangely made playtesters (and us devs) feel an urge to move as fast as possible, despite the constant risk of getting crushed, exploded, frozen, or vaporized.
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Q: Bionic Bay Online’s challenges are very strict on timing jumps and movements carefully against other players. Is the goal to allow players who complete the main campaign to jump into Bionic Bay Online with no trouble, or will players be able to look to the online leaderboards for further challenge?
A: The idea behind the online mode is to offer a good time for both casual players and more hardcore speedrunners. New challenges open and close daily, and you'll earn points based on your performance on climbing the global leaderboards. If you're ready to fully commit, you'll probably find yourself playing every day, but even if you just drop in from time to time, there will always be fresh challenges waiting for you.
Q: Are all the abilities used in Bionic Bay Online going to be shown off in the main campaign, or are there some exclusive platforming challenges in the multiplayer races?
A: At launch, the Online Mode will include content from the main game, though it will be heavily modified to better suit speedrunning. We'll combine level segments from the single-player adventure, modify them, and introduce additional mechanics. Perhaps in the future, we’ll also start creating content exclusive to Online Mode.
Q: Are there any parts to Bionic Bay’s platforming that you, as the developers, are excited to see players figure out when the game launches?
A: We’ve already released a demo version with Online Mode, and it’s been incredible to see how quickly players have adapted to speedrunning. It’s a strange feeling to develop a game for five years, play it every day, and then suddenly watch some actually talented players showcase playstyles and strategies you never even considered!
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- Released
- April 17, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Psychoflow Studio, Mureena Oy
- Publisher(s)
- Kepler Interactive
- Engine
- Unity
