Öoo and the Power of Manga-Style Marketing: How an Indie Dev Boosted Sales via Stream Strategy
On August 8, indie developer NamaTakahashi launched Öoo, a quirky puzzle platformer with Metroidvania elements, on Steam. The game lets players control a tiny “explosive worm” that uses self-detonation as a means of movement and puzzle-solving. Within just a few days of release, Öoo was met with an overwhelmingly positive response and quickly gained a “Very Positive” rating on Steam. What stood out even more was how the developer leveraged a manga-style video strategy to turn streaming—a potential sales killer for short narrative games—into a powerful marketing tool.
The Öoo Strategy: Think Like a Manga, Not a Movie
NamaTakahashi explained that one of the toughest challenges for narrative-driven puzzle games is exposure via content creators. These games often offer one-time experiences. Once the puzzles are solved or the story is revealed through a full playthrough, viewers typically lose the motivation to buy the game themselves.
This was particularly risky for Öoo, which takes just 2–3 hours to complete—short enough to be fully finished in a single stream. That makes the game vulnerable to being “spoiled” entirely by a single creator.
However, inspiration struck from an indie-focused YouTuber named LayerQ, who broke convention by uploading their Öoo playthrough in 20-minute episodes over several days. This episodic approach mimicked the way anime or manga keeps readers/viewers hooked with cliffhangers, encouraging curiosity rather than killing it.
The Cliffhanger Effect
The true genius of this strategy? Ending the first video with a cliffhanger. LayerQ stops the episode just as a new puzzle area begins—without showing the solution. This gives viewers a taste of the challenge without full exposure, prompting them to ask themselves, “What happens next?” Some couldn’t wait and ended up buying the game to find out on their own.
This episodic, suspense-driven style strikes a rare balance: it gives content creators enough material to engage their audience without spoiling the full experience or undercutting the developer’s sales potential.
What Is Öoo?
At its core, Öoo is a fresh twist on the puzzle Metroidvania genre. The main character can’t jump—instead, you plant bombs to launch yourself across gaps, up walls, and through obstacles. It’s a clever, momentum-based mechanic that challenges players to rethink platforming logic.
The blend of minimalist design, experimental gameplay, and tight puzzle design creates a short but memorable experience that’s both challenging and creative. And judging by the buzz, this little “bomb worm” isn’t done blowing up the charts just yet.
Final Thought
What NamaTakahashi and Öoo prove is this: short indie games don’t have to get buried under full playthroughs on YouTube or Twitch. With smart storytelling techniques—like episodic uploads and cliffhangers—developers can keep viewers curious while still driving sales. It’s a lesson indie devs should take to heart: sometimes, thinking like a manga author is the best marketing move you can make.
