Hello, people!
A lot happened since our last update, not just with our project, but with the world itself. Amongst all the madness, injustice and the pandemic still far from over, it's a weird time to be talking about games and such, yet here we are. The least we can do is to keep working and try to take your mind off these things with some news about Whateverland. Especially since we have so many things to tell you about.
First and foremost, we have just launched a Kickstarter campaign! The world has changed in a matter of a few months, and it’s getting harder and harder to stay afloat as an indie studio. But we really want to finish Whateverland without any influence from publishers or investors, so we decided to go on Kickstarter. If you're interested in our project, we would appreciate your support very much. And if you can’t support us financially (which is completely understandable), you can spread the word about our campaign.
What's more, the Prologue of Whateverland is now available on Steam for free! You can experience the first 30 minutes of the game, check out our Tim Burton-inspired visuals, meet some of the characters, and hopefully provide us with much-needed feedback so that we know what we should improve and work on. So yeah, go ahead and hit that download button.
The Prologue is the very beginning of Vincent's adventure, from the fatal attempt to steal from Beatrice to the first encounter with his quirky sidekick, Nick. While he’s trying to find out what the hell happened to him, you will get to discover the world around you as well as meet a couple of Whateverlanders.
Here’s a quick overview of all the characters you’ll see in the Prologue:
- Beatrice. Oh yes, it all starts with her sending Vincent to meet his fate in her personal playground that is Whateverland. You’ll get to meet her very briefly at the beginning, but the encounter will be a memorable one, for sure. First of all, she is a witch. Second of all, she’s doesn’t like people stealing from her. This lady definitely has her own reasons for creating a place like Whateverland, but what is it she seeks? Well, we’re not going to reveal all her cards just yet. But don’t worry, you’ll find out. Eventually.
- Vincent. You’ll get to meet the character who will walk you through this bizarre world, as foreign to him as it is to you. The protagonist of Whateverland is not a cheerful guy, but he definitely has his moments, so look out for awkward jokes and sarcastic remarks.
- Nick. Our favorite boy and your trusty companion on this journey. He’s the opposite of Vincent in almost every way – optimistic, bubbly, and ridiculously flamboyant. In his past life, he was a writer who, in search of inspiration, decided to literally sell his soul and stumbled upon Beatrice in the process of summoning a demon. Well, one could say he succeeded.
- Harold. A local mad scientist who hopes to build a helicopter out of junk and finally reunite with Beatrice, whom he believes to be not a witch, but an actual Goddess. Eccentric and freakish, he'll be wary of Vincent at first, but perhaps you will manage to warm his heart. Or not. One can never tell with this guy.
- Eddie. Another delicate soul, this character will appear before you in the form of a huge raven with a striking personality. We won't give away too much, but you should know that he's a poet, and he absolutely hates being criticized. That’s all you need to know, really.
The Prologue also features the ability to complete each section of the game in two different ways – either by being helpful and dealing with people’s problems or taking a shortcut and stealing from them whatever it is you need to move the plot forward. You won’t have to choose your “side” at the beginning and stick to it for the rest of the game – every chapter can be completed through either path and each of the paths offers a unique gameplay experience, that can’t be accessed otherwise. And the Prologue is no exception, so choose wisely – once the full game is out, your decisions will make an actual difference in the end. Feel free to explore all the possibilities in the Prologue!
We wish you a great playthrough, and please leave reviews to let us know what we can do to make Whateverland as good as it gets!