Jun 10, 2023

Snufkin is wandering back to Moominvalley!

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley - alex~

“Don’t worry we shall have wonderful dreams, and when we wake up it’ll be spring.” - Snufkin, from the book Finn Family Moomintroll

Snufkin has made his way back to Moominvalley! To celebrate the return, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley was featured in Wholesome Direct 2023, where we shared a little background on the beloved character, created by the cherished author Tove Jansson.

In our brand new trailer we get a peek into the history, locations and characters that combine to create the inspiration for the world of Moomin characters – and how we’re bringing Snufkin to life in Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley.

Watch it below to see new gameplay footage as well as teasers for one of several never-before-seen cinematics beautifully crafted for the game, bringing Snufkin to the screen in a delightful new way.

With our Wholesome Direct feature also comes a new release window announcement. We hope you can see that Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a labour of love and craftsmanship from a small team dedicated to bringing these characters to screen with the uptmost care. As such, the game is now set to release in Q1 2024.

Thank you for understanding and for your patience, we can’t wait to get you into Moominvalley!

That was it for now, thank you so much for following our development! Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, or wishlist on steam and sign up for our newsletter for updates about the game, the world of Moomin, and upcoming events.

Are Sundnes
CEO @ Hyper Games

Jun 10, 2023

Fresh from Wholesome Direct, Townseek is coming to Steam in Early 2024!

Townseek - Whales And Games

Hey there! 👋 Did you watch our new Townseek trailer during Wholesome Direct today? It was wonderful to have Townseek featured in our favourite cosy game showcase alongside so many amazing uplifting games, for the second time since we've started development! As we've premiered a new trailer during the direct, we wanted to break down some of the highlights of what we've shown today! 🌻

First of all, we're happy to confirm our release window! Get ready to travel the picturesque world of Explora when Townseek comes to Steam in Early 2024! ⏰ We'll announce a specific date as we approach the end of the year. But first, we need to ensure every nook and cranny of the game is filled with delight and polished to perfection! We know that many of you have been eager to play it for a long time. We'll make sure to make the wait worth your while! 💪

After a long wait, we have finally unveiled some things that have been holding on for a while! ✨ We'd like to start by introducing you to the nomadic town of Vushkaar! Nested within the ice continents of Explora, these tough dwarves are quite adventurous and restless! Be on the lookout, for they might abandon the area and pop up in some unexpected places! Vushkaar is also the last town from our original jam release to be adapted into the full game, and we couldn't be prouder! ❄️

In addition to the new town, we've also been hard at work crafting an engaging narrative for Townseek! We're thrilled to finally introduce you to Sir Reginald Sharkingston, the first shark to take to the skies and explore the world! Put together the lost pages of his journal and discover his captivating adventure as you discover new towns and learn more about the world!

Where did he go? What did he learn? Did he leave any treasure behind? And how did the different towns of the world change him as a shark? We can't wait for you to find out! 🦈

Lastly, if you've played our previous demos, you know that we've got special companions joining us from other games! However, we've kept some of our most celebrated guests a surprise until now! We're proud to collaborate and bring Lil Gator from Lil Gator Game, The Lamb from Cult of the Lamb, and Claire from A Short Hike into the world of Townseek! If you're an indie game enthusiast like us, you might see even more familiar faces in the future!

Besides our special guests, we've got many companions unique to Explora who can accompany you in your travels! From floating jellyfish, racoon rascals, to airplane kiwis, there'll always be a companion alongside you as you travel the world. 🦝

Aside from these highlights, the trailer also included more shots of the game's exploration and trading! Since every trailer is someone's first time getting to know Townseek, we always like mixing it with clips old and new! From exploration, trading, to all of the different activities, there'll be something for you to enjoy in Explora! 🗺️

Speaking of collaborations, there's one more thing! Wholesome Direct has once again teamed up with The Yetee to release shirts themed to the event! And the shirt featuring many of the games that have appeared on the event also features Townseek's iconic airship! These shirts will be on sale until the 30th of June, so go ahead and grab them while they're available! We'll make sure to grab some extras ourselves! You can find them in this collection! 👕

We're currently knee-deep in development and making great progress! Even so, we'll continue to update you with more news and development updates they come up. For now, if you'd like to support us, you can do so by wishlisting Townseek! Your wishlists are a tremendous help, both analytically and on a personal level! 💖

Whales And Games, along with our publisher at Super Rare Originals, is humbled by the reception, kind words and enthusiasm that Townseek has received! If you'd like to continue sailing with us, consider joining our vibrant community at our Discord Server! Not only do we share more news and sneak peaks of the game's development, but also hang out, talk games, share artwork, and occasionally play games together! You're more than invited to join us!

Time to sign off! Thanks again for everything and to Wholesome Direct and Wholesome Games for once again having us in their showcase! We hope you've enjoyed the news we've put together, and that you look forward to the game arriving early next year! Cheers!

– Whales And Games 🐳

Jun 10, 2023

I just revealed my new game - Kibu! 🍵

Kibu - Dead Meat

Hey everyone!

The big day is finally here - I just unveiled my new game, Kibu(!), to the world! In case you aren’t watching the Wholesome Direct showcase (that’s still happening right now - go watch it if not - soooo many great games!) then here’s the reveal teaser trailer:

For now, I’ll be diving straight back into development to keep working on Kibu - I love these announcement times where I’m making new trailers to send out into the world, but they do set me back as a solo dev :D However, the energy I get from my community at big moments like this always helps me tackle development with new energy and motivation, so I’m hoping to make great progress in the weeks to come!

Oh, and if you could throw me a Wishlist (and a follow too if you’re feeling extra kind!) that would be hugely appreciated - it makes such a difference for smaller indies like me, trying to get noticed in the sea of great games coming out every day!

Big love,
-Jonas

Jun 10, 2023

I just revealed my new game - Kibu! 🍵

Omno - KrisWB

I am so, so excited, terrified, anxious and thrilled to finally have it out in the world - just making this announcement feels like such a big weight off my shoulders! I’d love to know your thoughts and feelings about the trailer and the idea behind Kibu - the things you’re excited about (as well as anything you’re less keen on - all feedback is good feedback! Some of you have been supporters of my work for years now since the early Omno days, and you’ll know how much I value your feedback and support already! If you’re keen to get involved in the Kibu community and see more behind-the-scenes stuff, maybe head over to the Discord here: https://discord.gg/inkyfox

For now, I’ll be diving straight back into development to keep working on Kibu - I love these announcement times where I’m making new trailers to send out into the world, but they do set me back as a solo dev :D However, the energy I get from my community at big moments like this always helps me tackle development with new energy and motivation, so I’m hoping to make great progress in the weeks to come!

Oh, and if you could throw me a Wishlist (and a follow too if you’re feeling extra kind!) that would be hugely appreciated - it makes such a difference for smaller indies like me, trying to get noticed in the sea of great games coming out every day!

Big love,
-Jonas

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2193150/Kibu/

Jun 10, 2023

Pre-FGS Major Announcement

New Cycle - _____._____

Hello everyone,

This is a collective announcement about what we have been working hard to finalize since April. Thanks to the interest and appreciation you have shown us since our first demo release, we have had a more enjoyable and productive production process despite the intense workload. We hope that these improvements and developments will help to provide you with a more fun and rich experience.

Devside

New Rugged Terrain System:
In the first demo version, the terrain was designed to work in the traditional way, like a flat plate. As of today, the New Cycle universe features uneven terrain. This approach helps to achieve a more organic look of the universe, and in some ways brings the environmental experience closer to being more aesthetically pleasing and realistic. The extra ruggedness on large treeless surfaces also helps to produce shadows at certain angles, eliminating the sense of repetition that the surface can create for the human eye. When constructing buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, etc., the area you choose will be automatically smoothed and flattened to a certain extent.

Improvements to Road System, New Bridges, and Tunnels:
All the deficiencies of the road system experienced in the first demo have been fixed and the production has been completed with improvements. (There is a small shortcoming regarding the blending between terrain and road material at road ends). The inability to build short paths has been resolved. Curve or grid-based road building has been adjusted to work with the same efficiency and performance.

Mechanics for the construction of bridges or tunnels that are integrated into the road system have been added to enable the crossing of cliffs, hills, or mountainous regions that pose a physical obstacle to accessing certain parts of 3D maps. Depending on the type of geographical obstacle, the appropriate infrastructure component (wooden or metal bridge and tunnel) is automatically incorporated into the road construction by the system, requiring extra resources depending on the distance. The construction method works in the same way as for roads. Just like the construction of a building, the road mechanics flatten and smooth out uneven terrain surfaces according to a certain mathematical framework.

Volumetric Lightning and Fog System Upgrades:
The world of New Cycle is a setting where seasonal changes, extreme natural events, and other environmental factors heavily influence the natural lighting and feel. We've made improvements and additions to our entire lighting and fog system to support natural lighting and the production of volumetrically satisfying visuals in the open air.
We now have many areas where we can enhance our systems, such as regional mist effects, regional volume in areas with lots of trees and pollen generation, and animated fog with external colors and textures that can represent air pollution. With these capabilities, the universe of New Cycle is now equipped with qualities that better suit the dramatic and realistic texture of the era it wants to visually convey.

Marketing and events

Next Fest Demo Process, Publishing, Market Plan, and Announcements:
First, the content of this brief is to describe the oddfundamental changes and refinements that have been made to the infrastructure of the entire 3D universe generally. To get ready for our first demo release, we had to use several components that we had produced at the design stage. At this stage, we have almost no dated or dissatisfying components left. On that note, we have a structure that we are much more confident and less likely to have problems that may prevent consumption. We want to emphasize again that creating such a reliable product is a challenge that requires a lot of effort for a small team. In this respect, we would like to state that we have not changed our completely independent production approach and our goal of releasing mass-oriented games without losing our indie spirit, and we are about to finalize our potential publishing partnership talks.
We are happy to share that we will be releasing a new original trailer at Future Games Show this evening at 7PM CET. In the following week, we will also deliver a second major update outside of the 3D universe, focusing on game mechanics and administrative tools. We expect to be ready to announce our publishing partner in the same week. Recognizing that we're covering a lot of ground in a single announcement, we are trying to run as transparent a development process as possible.

Additionally, we'd like to announce our participation in Steam Next Fest. With our updated content and new features, we aim for you to have a fun demo process again and we are preparing for it accordingly.
Once again, thank you sincerely for your support and interest.

Core Engage
Alp Geven