Kitfox Games announce chill city builder Mossfield Origins
Go your own way in Studio Any Percent's upcoming small-scale city builder
It's hard not to view Kitfox Games as the stars of tonight's Future Of Play event. Hot on the heels of the news that Boyfriend Dungeon will be receiving a substantial free update, they unveiled Mossfield Origins, the next game coming courtesy of their publishing arm.
Developed by Studio Any Percent, Mossfield Origins promises an extremely relaxing take on the sci-fi city builder genre. The announcement trailer, which you can check out below, opens with a serene disembodied voice setting the tone for what's to come. "We were sent here with a purpose," the voice murmurs soothingly, then adds: "But we're not doing that any more."
Mossfield Origins promises that there will be no external forces or time pressures to interfere with your calm building experience, and instead you'll be able to focus on developing your small and sustainable city at a pace that suits you. The game will also feature a lower level of complexity compared to some of the massively in-depth city builders you see these days, in the deliberate hope that the game will be more approachable to players with limited spare time. "We wanted a snack-sized, relaxing experience with a bit of depth that more people can see the end of," explains developer Ruby Ruze.
There'll be tech trees galore to allow you to upgrade and improve your city's facilities; but a big focus of the game will be on community management, keeping things small-scale in order to allow you to get to know the inhabitants of the city as well as the space itself. Characters can chat in side-stories that look suspiciously visual novel-y to me, which given Kitfox's pedigree in that genre is extremely promising. No word yet on whether you can ask the lovely ASMR robot out on a date, though.
The devs at Studio Any Percent have also expressed their enthusiasm for incorporating non-colonialist and anti-capitalist themes into their games, which definitely comes through in the announcement materials. The gentle voice-over I mentioned above definitely gave me the impression that a peaceful rebellion against the suspiciously-named Life Corporation was taking place, which feels like a promising hook for the game's narrative.
Mossfield Origins doesn't have anything approaching a release date yet, but you can wishlist the game on Steam right now.
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