A deceptively simple control system underpins this alpinist adventure set on a
single deadly massif
A climber clutches on to a vertiginous rock face, toes digging in, knuckles
turning white, a limb trembling from the sheer strain. In this precarious
moment, a few options present themselves: move swiftly to rebalance, take a few
seconds to rest, or simply let go – praying that the belay holds the weight of a
body that has succumbed to the massif.
Cairn, the new “survival climbing game” from French studio The Game Bakers, is
full of such dicey, panicked moments. There is no visible stamina bar, which
means that the player must glean all their information from the state of their
playable alpinist, Aava. Under acute duress, Aava’s breathing will intensify,
becoming quicker and shallower, and her body will begin to tremble. “We want you
to focus on her posture and on the handholds in front of you,” says creative
director Emeric Thoa.
Cairn will be out in 2025 on PC
Continue reading...
Tag - Simulation games
In this primordial take on the life simulator, you bring about the creation of
an entire solar system
Meteors hurtling at planet-decimating speeds, luminous balls of hot gas, black
holes from which not even light can escape: outer space can fuel nightmares, yet
for Céline Veltman, a 28-year-old Dutch game-maker who spent her childhood
stargazing, it is the stuff of dreams. She’s translating this wide-eyed wonder
at the universe into a video game with the grandest of ambitions: the creation
of a solar system. Rocks collide with one another, chemical reactions occur: lo,
a planet – and life itself – is born in the depths of the cosmos.
The bright, illustrative visuals of Curiosmos are more children’s picture book
than Terrence Malick, an expression of Veltman’s aims for the project and its
moment of inception. “I want to make everyone as enthusiastic about space as I
am,” she says, talking ebulliently about supernovae and protoplanetary disks.
Continue reading...
On its 15th anniversary, the creators of FarmVille reflect on the compulsive
cartoon farm sim that paved the way for a data-driven world
Facebook users of a certain age may remember a particularly forlorn farm animal
popping up in their feeds during the platform’s heyday. The lonely cow would
wander into FarmVille players’ pastures with its face twisted into a frown and
its eyes shimmering with tears. “She feels very sad and needs a new home,” an
accompanying caption read, asking you to adopt the cow or message your friends
for help. Ignore the cow’s plea and it would presumably be left friendless and
foodless. Message your friends about it, and you’d be accelerating the spread of
one of the biggest online crazes of the 2010s.
Released 15 years ago, FarmVille was nothing short of a phenomenon. More than
18,000 players gave it a go on its first day, rising to 1 million by its fourth.
At its peak in 2010, more than 80 million users logged in monthly to plant
crops, tend animals and harvest goods for coins to spend on decorations.
Celebrities professed their obsession, McDonald’s created a farm for a
promotion, and long before artists released music on Fortnite, Lady Gaga debuted
songs from her sophomore album through the cartoon farm sim. Not bad for a game
that was stitched together in five weeks.
Continue reading...