With the organic, pencil feel of yesteryear, Hidden Fields evokes nostalgia and horror with Mundaun, an adventure to a small town in the Alps beset by something diabolical. The game feels like an artist’s notebook come to life, and I caught up and conversed with developer Michel Ziegler (Director, Artist, Game Designer) on the creative thrust behind his work.
For lovers of innovative pixel art, tactical space combat, and adventures through sci-fi imperialism, Alt Shift flexes impressive muscle, taking influence from Dune/Foundation and FTL with its project Crying Suns, working toward a story-driven experience incorporating battleships and squadron fleets. I spoke with Frédéric Lopez (Art Director) and Julien Cotret (Game Producer and Co-writer) to get their takes on the game’s varied tools and overall aesthetic.
A game about discovery and yarns by Grinning Pickle, Totem Teller drops players into a beautiful world of broken narratives, astonishing its audience with a landscape that evokes a psychedelic fairy tale aesthetic, bringing bedtime stories into the 21st century. Enraptured by visuals, I chatted with dev Ben Kerslake on the impetus behind and methods driving his work.
By way of its pixel art alone, 2D survival action RPG Year In The Trees establishes itself as an intriguing prospect, capturing a natural feel with sprite graphics stylings. Set in an enchanted forest packed with procedurally-generated content, players can expect to fish or explore caves, farm or unlock rare armor recipes, cook or discover hidden lore, and I chatted with Lunoland designer and fellow Midwesterner Christopher Smith on his solo project.
As a child of the ’80s, the notion that a team of anthropomorphic animals must work together to vanquish evil feels like second nature, and in The Bearded Ladies’ Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, players guide an unlikely trio through post-apocalyptic terrain in the search for answers. With FUNCOM on board as the publisher, I chatted with studio producer Mark Parker.
