GNOG
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| GNOG | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality |
| Developer | KO_OP |
| Publisher | Double Fine Presents (original release); KO_OP |
| Platform | PlayStation 4, SteamVR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, iOS |
| Device | PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Oculus Go |
| Operating System | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Puzzle, Adventure, Casual |
| Input Device | DualShock 4, Tracked motion controllers, Gamepad, Keyboard / Mouse |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | 2 May 2017 (PS4) |
| Price | US$9.99 (Steam, PlayStation Store); US$14.99 at PS4 launch |
| App Store | PlayStation Store, Steam, Oculus Store, App Store |
| Website | http://gnoggame.com |
GNOG is a 3D puzzle game developed by KO_OP, an independent studio in Montreal, Canada. Players solve puzzles by poking, pulling, spinning and sliding parts of nine toy-like monster heads to reveal the small worlds hidden inside them. The game was released for PlayStation 4 on 2 May 2017 under the Double Fine Presents label, with optional PlayStation VR support.[1][2] An iOS version with optional augmented reality support followed in November 2017, and a PC version with SteamVR support launched on Steam on 17 July 2018, around the same time as releases for Oculus Rift and Oculus Go on the Oculus store.[3][4][5]
VR is optional on PlayStation 4 and Steam, and the Steam version lets players switch between standard and VR play at any time.[4][6] GNOG was a finalist for Excellence in Visual Art at the 2016 Independent Games Festival and was nominated for Family Game of the Year at the 21st D.I.C.E. Awards.[7][8]
Gameplay
GNOG is a single-player puzzle game made up of nine levels. Each level is a monster head that works as a puzzle box with its own visuals, music and short story.[4][9] The player presses, pulls, slides, grabs and rotates parts of each head to find out how it works. The store description gives examples such as spinning a bookcase to reveal a pile of coins, sliding levers to steer a damaged ship through space, and cranking a wheel to cook a stew on a stove.[4] The dynamic soundtrack, composed by Marskye, evolves with each level.[4][10]
On PlayStation 4 the game is played with the DualShock 4, and the PlayStation VR mode requires the PlayStation Camera.[6] In VR the head sits in front of the player, who can lean in to look at it more closely.[9] On PC the Steam page lists full controller support and tracked controller support, and the minimum requirements list SteamVR for VR play.[4] In a review of the PC version played on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, The Next Web described turning, pushing, pulling and poking the heads with hand gestures in VR, with mouse and keyboard also available.[11] On iOS, the App Store description lists optional AR support that turns a tabletop into the game's toy box.[3]
Development
KO_OP announced GNOG for PlayStation 4 and Project Morpheus (the working name of PlayStation VR) in a PlayStation Blog post in June 2015, targeting a 2016 release. In the post, KO_OP studio director Saleem Dabbous described the studio as a four-person team in Montreal and said the project had support from Sony's Pub Fund program and the Double Fine Presents label.[12][13] Dabbous wrote that the game started as a 2D platformer before the team moved to 3D, and named the games Windosill and FEZ and the toys Polly Pocket and Mighty Max as influences.[12]
Programmer Nick Rudzicz gave more detail in an interview for the 2016 Independent Games Festival. The early version had a small character who ran around a forest, found the heads and climbed inside them. The team decided that exploring the heads was the most enjoyable part and cut the character, partly because it did not have the animation budget for it. Rudzicz said the toy influence came from collaborator Sam, and he mentioned Unity when describing the programming work.[14] The official website credits the art to Monsieur Eureka and the music to Marskye.[10]
The 2016 target was missed. In March 2017 the release was set for 2 May 2017 on PlayStation 4 with PlayStation VR support, with Steam and iOS versions planned for later.[1][2]
Release
| Platform | VR or AR support | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 4 | PlayStation VR (optional) | 2 May 2017 | North America and Europe; launch price US$14.99 / GBP 12.99, with a 10% pre-order discount for PlayStation Plus members[2] |
| iOS | Optional AR (tabletop) | November 2017 | App Store release; last listed update is version 1.0.7 (February 2019)[3] |
| Windows, macOS, Linux (Steam) | SteamVR (optional) | 17 July 2018 | Standard and VR play can be switched at any time[4] |
| Oculus Rift and Oculus Go (Oculus store) | VR | July 2018 | Listed in Oculus's recap of releases for 16-20 July 2018[5] |
UploadVR reported in August 2019 that GNOG was free on the Epic Games Store until 15 August 2019, and that it was also sold on GOG, Itch.io, Oculus, Steam, iOS and PS4. The same article listed Oculus Rift and HTC Vive support for the PC version.[15]
As of October 2026, current store listings name KO_OP (KO-OP MODE INC. on the PlayStation Store) as publisher. The game sells for US$9.99 on Steam and the PlayStation Store, and for US$4.99 on the App Store.[4][6][3]
Reception
| Aggregator or outlet | Platform | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic | PlayStation 4 | 77/100 (29 critic reviews)[16] |
| Metacritic | iOS | 82/100 (4 critic reviews)[17] |
| OpenCritic | All | Top Critic Average 73; 55% of critics recommend[18] |
| Destructoid | PS4 / PS VR | 8/10[19] |
| Game Informer | PS4 | 7.75/10[9] |
| PlayStation LifeStyle | PS4 / PS VR | 7/10[20] |
| UploadVR | Not stated (2017 review) | 7/10[15] |
Reviewers generally praised the art, sound and toy-like puzzles, while several found the game brief or thin in places. Jordan Devore of Destructoid played mostly in PlayStation VR and called it "the ideal way to play", writing that VR made the heads' inner workings "seem that much more physical". He called it "such a joyful game" and felt that its single-sitting length was about right, though a few levels were "mechanically underdeveloped".[19] Kyle Hilliard of Game Informer named the audio and visual direction as one of the game's "greatest strengths" and described PlayStation VR as "a welcome bonus, as opposed to a necessary way to play."[9]
Chandler Wood of PlayStation LifeStyle finished the game in about two hours. He preferred PlayStation VR, writing that it "really plays with the palpable elements of holding a box in front of you", but felt the game "can't decide if it should be an interactive toy box or compulsory enigma" and that its sense of wonder faded too quickly.[20] Reviewing the PC version on Rift and Vive in 2018, Tristan Greene of The Next Web wrote that playing in VR "feels like you're inside of a cartoon that's inside of a popup book".[11]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Independent Games Festival | Excellence in Visual Art | Finalist[7] |
| 2018 | 21st D.I.C.E. Awards | Family Game of the Year | Nominated[8] |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tom Regan (2017-03-30). "Double Fine's mesmerizing 'GNOG' comes to PS4 in May". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2017/03/30/double-fines-mesmerizing-gnog-comes-to-ps4-in-may/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jason Dunning (2017-03-29). "3D Puzzle Game GNOG Launches on May 2 for PS4 & PSVR". PlayStation LifeStyle. https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2017/03/29/3d-puzzle-game-gnog-launches-may-2-ps4-psvr. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "GNOG". App Store. Apple. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gnog/id1256675328. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 "GNOG on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/290510/GNOG/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Releases Recap: July 16 - 20". Meta. Meta Platforms. 2018-07-21. https://www.meta.com/blog/releases-recap-july-16-to-20/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "GNOG". PlayStation Store. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/217120. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "2016 Independent Games Festival debuts finalists". Independent Games Festival. https://igf.com/article/2016-independent-games-festival-debuts-finalists. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Daniel New (2018-01-15). "Horizon, Zelda, and PUBG lead this year's DICE Awards nominations". Thumbsticks. https://www.thumbsticks.com/horizon-zelda-pubg-dice-awards-01152018/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Kyle Hilliard (2017-05-04). "Gnog Review - A Collection Of Pleasant Packages". Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/games/gnog/b/playstation4/archive/2017/05/04/gnog-review-ps4-game-informer.aspx. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "GNOG". GNOG official website. KO_OP. http://gnoggame.com. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Tristan Greene (2018-07-23). "Review: Double Fine's GNOG is a wonderfully puzzling VR experience". The Next Web. https://thenextweb.com/news/review-double-fines-gnog-is-a-wonderfully-puzzling-vr-experience. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Saleem Dabbous (2015-06-04). "Monstrous puzzle game GNOG launching on PS4 and Morpheus in 2016". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2015/06/04/monstrous-puzzle-game-gnog-launching-on-ps4-and-morpheus-in-2016/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Aran Suddi (2015-06-04). "Puzzler GNOG Launching On PS4 & Project Morpheus In 2016". TheSixthAxis. https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2015/06/04/puzzler-gnog-launching-on-ps4-project-morpheus-in-2016/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ "2016 IGF Interviews: GNOG". NYU Game Center. https://gamecenter.nyu.edu/igf-interviews-gnog/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Ian Hamilton (2019-08-08). "GNOG Is Free On The Epic Games Store Until August 15". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/gnog-free-epic-games/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ "GNOG critic reviews (PlayStation 4)". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/gnog/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ "GNOG critic reviews (iOS)". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/gnog/critic-reviews/?platform=ios-iphoneipad. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ "GNOG Reviews". OpenCritic. https://opencritic.com/game/1601/gnog. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Jordan Devore (2017-05-01). "Review: GNOG". Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-gnog/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Chandler Wood (2017-05-02). "GNOG Review - Flippin' Your Gnoggin (PS4/PSVR)". PlayStation LifeStyle. https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/567609-gnog-review-flippin-your-gnoggin-ps4psvr. Retrieved 2026-10-07.