Star Swim continues ceMelusine's dreamy East Van EP
Vignette 'em up
Following prophetic visions and ghostly bartending, the third atmospheric oddity in the vignette 'em up East Van EP [Itch page] is going swimming. ceMelusine, who you might also know from his work on Glitchhikers, yesterday released "nighttime pool simulator" Star Swim. It wanders into a closed community swimming pool in the wee hours to wander around, maybe splash about, and perhaps sink into another world. Two years since the East Van EP started, I'm pleased knowing ceMelusine is still working away and weird new things will arrive in my inbox when they're done.
Star Swim continues the 'EP' concept of small games which are all quite different but are united by similar looks, similar music, and similar themes. It's all a bit dreamy, seeking-meaning-ish, and a touch obliviony. Playing them makes me feel lost and insignificant and totally okay with that, whims and dreams and wonder and music and art and rhetorical beliefs providing almost-but-not-quite-comforting-enough respite. Though, y'know, that's obviously some #ClassicAlice right there.
As for Star Swim itself, it's a pleasing little walking simulator around a closed community pool, which leads to mystery. ceMelusine has said it's inspired by a mystery encountered in a park one night.
The East Van EP is $10 on Itch for Windows and Mac. That gets you Oracle, Summon the Apgrod, and Star Swim now, then the final game, Scary Tapes, when it's done (due to be later this year). ceMelusine has called Scary Tapes "a first-person, shop simulator in the fashion of the contemporary adventure game (Anatomy, Off-Peak, Curtain, etc)" and hey, that sounds good.
I really do dig how the EP looks and sounds too. Check out this sky: