Noita (video game)

Noita is a platform roguelike game developed by Nolla Games. Players control a witch that can collect and cast spells in order to defeat enemies named after Finnish mythological creatures. The main game leads the player down a cave ending in a boss fight, although the game contains much more secret and supplementary content. It was released in early access for Microsoft Windows on 24 September 2019. Noita left early access as the 1.0 version was released on 15 October 2020.

Gameplay
Noita is a single-player video game in which the player character is a witch who finds, collects, and casts spells in a procedurally generated, 8-bit, 2D world where every pixel is physically simulated. Noita has permadeath, and the player fights enemies that include creatures named after Finnish mythological creatures such as Hiisi and Iku-Turso. The story opens with a cutscene that references the Karelian and Finnish national epic Kalevala, and one of the goals is seeking out the Sampo. The actual gameplay starts when the player takes control of the player character at the opening of a cave.

The game consists of biomes, or unique areas within the game, which contain various new enemies, objects, spells, wands, and biome specific topography. Every biome has a name which is displayed on screen upon entering it for the first time in a given run. Basic gameplay leads the player down a cave where the main path of the game begins. The main path consists of eight biomes stacked on top of one another, descending deeper into the cave as the player progresses through the main game. Each successive biome contains stronger enemies and more valuable objects or spells than the last. In order, the biomes in the main path are: Mines, Coal Pits, Snowy Depths, Hiisi Base, Underground Jungle, The Vault, Temple of the Art, and The Laboratory. In the final biome resides the main boss of the game, Kolmisilmä . Upon defeating the boss, the player is rewarded with the Sampo, which can be used to finish the main path and complete the main game.

Noita also consists of many other various bosses, mini-bosses, secret biomes, in-game achievements, challenges, and endings that are either hidden or not a direct part of the main game and it's progression. It also contains a viewer participation feature that lets Twitch livestream viewers vote about in-game events.

Development
Noita was developed by Nolla Games, an independent game studio based in Helsinki, Finland. The studio was formed by Petri Purho (the developer of Crayon Physics Deluxe), Olli Harjola (The Swapper) and Arvi Teikari (Baba Is You). Noita is inspired by the 1998 artillery game Liero, falling-sand games, and modern roguelikes. The game's sound design was by Niilo Takalainen, and the soundtrack was a collaboration between the Finnish psychedelic band From Grotto and Niilo Takalainen. The game went through many different design directions for two years, before settling on the final format. Petri Purho described it as "based on a falling sand style simulation. Essentially, it's complex cellular automata."

Noita was released in early access for Microsoft Windows on 24 September 2019 and is digitally distributed on GOG.com, Humble Bundle, Itch.io, and Steam. The developer expected the game to be in early access for a year before its full release. Noita left early access as the 1.0 version on 15 October 2020.

The game received post release content updates until 30 March 2021 with the release of the “Epilogue Update”, however the developers stated they would still release bug fix patches. They also highlighted the game's modding community. On 8 April 2024, the developers released a follow-up "Epilogue 2 Update" with additional content and quality of life changes.

Reception
Noita was a finalist nominee in three categories at the 2019 Independent Games Festival: Seumas McNally Grand Prize, Excellence in Design, and Nuovo Award. Finnish computing website Muropaketti gave the early access version of Noita a 4 out of 5, and described the game as "unbridled and addictive" and that it "sets high expectations for the finished game". During the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Noita for "Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game". The game was nominated for "Best Technology" at the 20th Game Developers Choice Awards, held in March 2020 and for "Most Innovative Gameplay" in the Steam Awards (2020). Noita won 2 awards in the Finnish Game Awards 2021, for Finnish Game of the Year and Big Screen Game of the Year.

The Finnish Museum of Games hosted an exhibition about the game from 4 September until 12 December 2021.