Kyodai Unveils 'Project Elea', an Original First Person Storytelling Adventure
Bulgaria-based game studio Kyodai today released the debut teaser of “Project Elea”, an interactive storytelling adventure inspired by the work of the classic 20th century sci-fi authors. Among other themes, the game narrative will examine human existence and identity in the context of interstellar travel and the wake of the omniscient A.I. “Project Elea” is using the powerful Unreal Engine 4, PBR materials for realistic lighting and will be played in a VR and non-VR surrounding environment.
What’s the game about?
Voyager 1231 River Elea Catherine Jones regains consciousness to find herself locked down in her own cabin. Kazumi, the omniscient A.I. host of Pilgrimage II, is offline for the first time in mission history, keeping her blocked. It won’t be long before Elea realizes that everybody else has evacuated and she is left all alone on a Worldtree-class starship.
Playing as Elea, you will navigate the hallways, control rooms and ecosystems of Pilgrimage II, the ship set to colonize Solace, a yet unexplored Earth-like exoplanet. In order to save the ship and uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of pioneering mission Pilgrimage I 15 years ago, you’ll have to aid crippled Kazumi in fighting off an eccentric invasive intelligence that wants to take control, that has been waiting in the darkness of space, preparing...
As Elea explores clues and executes manual overrides to restore Kazumi’s hijacked virtual memory, she will slowly come to realize it’s the lapses in her own memory and the imprints of a personal tragedy that she must deal with first.
Project’s Elea key features?
• Immerse yourself in the fully explorable and beautifully created fictional world of Project Elea. Claustrophobic old-school space environments alternate with beautiful vistas and highly detailed interiors thanks to Unreal Engine 4.
• A Dramatic Story: Project Elea offers a rich and unsettling narrative, inspired by the books of classic Sci-Fi authors like Stanislaw Lem, Arthur C. Clarke and Frank Herbert.
• Interact with almost anything in the game; solve logical puzzles, including periodic physically based distractions.
• Constant addition of new gameplay scenarios throughout the game.
The reason you are making this game?
We love story-driven games and believe the medium can be the next big thing in regard to storytelling. We adore games like Soma, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Gone Home, The Unfinished Swan, etc. Project Elea is our own attempts to tell an asymmetric multilayered story from the perspective of the player. Virtual Reality is another logical reason, because of the level of immersion it can add to the whole package - Sci-Fi and VR are a match made in heaven. Last but not least, even though Kyodai is a new studio, each of us has been a part of this industry for a very long time, so we felt the moment has come to leave our own trace in gaming history.
Platforms?
Currently, we are developing Project Elea for PC only. In addition, we’re working with Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2) for VR compatibility. Of course, we’re hoping to eventually bring it to other platforms like Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One and Nintendo’s upcoming next-gen console.
Who we are?
Kyodai Ltd. is a small Bulgarian studio, founded in late 2015 by Ivaylo Koralsky and Todor Todorov. In Japanese, Kyodai means “brothers” and this is a motto that unites our team. Ivaylo is a journalist and editor with more than ten years of experience in gaming related media (magazines, websites) and co-founder of the first Bulgarian multiplatform magazine “NeoGamer”. Todor is a seasoned architect and interior designer, who left his safe job and ventured into his childhood dream – game development. Before founding Kyodai he worked on the Assassin’s Creed Series – Assassin’s Creed IV: Blackflag and Assassin’s Creed Rogue.
Currently, Kyodai supports a compact team of employees in Sofia and Varna, Bulgaria.
