Exploring a mysterious underground society on this Sport Boy Shade era-inspired journey.
Nautilus Video games, a two-man indie sport studio primarily based in Madrid, has been onerous at work on its debut venture, Everdeep Aurora. The Sport Boy Shade era-inspired title follows the feline protagonist, Shell, on her journey in the hunt for her mom. An ongoing meteor bathe has made the world unsafe to inhabit, forcing the inhabitants far into the Everdeep under floor. After waking one night and discovering a letter from her mom, who has gone lacking, Shell begins her downward journey to search out her. As Shell continues to discover the depths under the floor, she encounters unusual, eccentric, generally pleasant, generally not-so-friendly characters and unravels the secrets and techniques of the Everdeep.
I had the chance to attempt Everdeep Aurora at GDC 2024. I used to be intrigued by this sport from the second I discovered about it; I beloved the artwork model, the cat protagonist, and was inquisitive about its non-combat-focused gameplay. One of many members of the sport’s writer, Ysbryd Video games, walked me by my introduction to the Everdeep and defined Shell’s skills. Her mode of traversal is by drill, and the depths are tile-based. The drill has an influence meter, and when it runs out it is going to be considerably much less highly effective and take extra time to interrupt by rocks. Fortunately, cost stations seem fairly commonly all through the setting, so that you don’t have to fret an excessive amount of about operating on empty. The participant may also have the ability to considerably improve their cost meter capability over the course of the sport.
The Everdeep is expansive and there are various doable routes you possibly can take to discover the world. Nevertheless, it’s doable to dig your self right into a lifeless finish or an space you don’t but have the flexibility to totally discover, however there’s a useful NPC on the floor that you may name to your support to carry you again up and begin your dig anew.
Within the brief period of time I had with the sport, I encountered quite a few secret areas that I used to be capable of discover to an extent, however that I’d’ve needed to return to later as soon as I’d unlocked new skills and objects. There are additionally quite a few denizens of the Everdeep which have requests and issues you possibly can assist them with, and serving to them will get you objects that may mean you can assist different characters in a while. For instance, one character was asking for spring water, which might give me a bouquet in return; that bouquet may then be given to a different character, who would give me one thing else in alternate, and so forth.
The sport’s character and environmental designs are beautiful and eccentric. Shell herself is tiny, draped in a black gown, and has large outsized eyes and whiskers that give her a definite (and cute) look. The opposite creatures of the Everdeep are all fellow animals of various sizes and styles; some are keen to assist Shell whereas others have extra of “you scratch my again, I’ll scratch yours” mentality. Environments vary from mystical and delightful to eerie and creepy, with neat little particulars like gentle shafts, swimming pools of water, cobble streets, and hanging foliage.
Everdeep Aurora appears prefer it’s going to be a enjoyable expertise with so much to discover and a great quantity of replayability because of the sheer variety of issues to find beneath the floor. I’m trying ahead to uncovering the secrets and techniques of this underground society and its unusual inhabitants, and reuniting Shell along with her mom. Everdeep Aurora releases on Nintendo Swap in late 2024.