The Magnificent Trufflepigs. 10 new games that were easy to miss
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Why is it interesting? The creators' unusual approach to the theme of love and treasure hunting.
The Magnificent Trufflepigs is the debut work of Thunkd studio, founded by Andrew Crawshaw – lead designer of Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. The game tells the story of Adam – a man raised in the English countryside. At one point in his life, he decides to return to his hometown and reconnect with an old friend, Beth.
It turns out that she had found a precious earring as a child, but was never able to find the other one from the set. The girl decides to try one last time to resume her search – with Adam's help. To spice the story, time is running out: in a matter of seven days, the whole place will be levelled by a company, who's boss Beth is to become.
During the game, we will use a metal detector and spend a lot of time digging in the ground, but the treasure is just an excuse for telling a story. One that's meant to be non-linear, with our actions influencing its shape. A relationship will begin to form between Beth and Adam, and we will have to decide which way it will go. Communication between characters will be done via walkie-talkie or text messages.
The Magnificent Trufflepigs will arrive on PC and Nintendo Switch in the summer of 2021.
The Lightbringer
Why is it interesting? Unusual graphic style, references to the first parts of The Legend of Zelda series and potentially very interesting and touching story.
Older installments in the The Legend of Zelda series were recently refreshed by Nintendo itself, with the re-release of Link's Awakening. But what if we told you that someone fascinated by the two-dimensional adventures of Link decided to create an adventure-logic game with an interesting plot? The authors of The Lightbringer say openly that the legendary series was their biggest inspiration, but it seems they are preparing something more unique.
The Lightbringer will take us to a world overrun by evil forces spreading corruption, and we will play the role of the chosen one who, using the energy of pure light, can still save everything. The spirit of our fallen sister will accompany us every step of the way – she started the fight against the evil, and we shall finish it.
As for the gameplay itself, The Lightbringer is expected to combine elements of adventure games and puzzle-solving and puzzle-setting mechanics. On top of that, there's a story and occasional combat sequences. It promises to be interesting, and the creators claim that their production is quite old-school, although in this case it should be considered an advantage.
The Lightbringer will arrive on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2021.
Martha is Dead
Why is it interesting? A mysterious murder mystery that's just waiting to be solved and probably hides a lot more horror than it may initially seem.
Martha Is Dead is a thriller and a horror adventure game. Our task will be to uncover the mystery of the death of our twin sister, whose body is found in the river one day. During gameplay, exploration will be crucial, as we have to discover who and how murdered Marta, by collecting clues and gathering evidence. It's worth mentioning that the game is set in Tuscany, in 1944, during World War 2, but the conflict is a mere background for the dramatic events.
The game will touch on difficult subjects, such as the trauma of losing a loved one and the impact of someone's death on our psychology. The atmosphere will be rather dense.
Interestingly, the creators of Martha Is Dead rely on photorealistic graphics employing ray-tracing. For games with rather small budgets, such solutions are used quite rarely, so I'm all the more intrigued to see how this will work out.
Martha Is Dead will release in 2021. The horror game will be available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
