Shape of the World wandering into early 2018
Pretty!
As a certified wanderer (50m silver certificate), I've been keeping an eye on Shape of the World [official site]. It's a digiwalk through lands which reveal themselves as we stroll, trees growing, plants unfurling, and critters popping into sight, with the soundtrack shaped by our travels too. It looks a bit like Proteus mixed with something out the demoscene. The game's already a year behind the plan from its successful 2015 Kickstarter, but the end is in sight. Developers Hollow Tree Games have now announced that Shape of the World is due some time in "early 2018", and shared a wee new video with some wonderful wandering:
I will happily explore such procedurally-generated forests over and over. Apparently we'll get to fly and swim as well as walk.
I am also glad to see something removed from this game. Videos of earlier prototypes showed players following and collecting orbs to trigger all these changes, which seemed needlessly video game-y in a game where wandering should be its own reward. Apparently the developers have wrestled with the idea of collecting 'seeds' for some time, redesigning the systems several times. Looks like the current plan is for them to give speed boosts so we can zip through the forest with style and grace.
Early 2018. Neat-o.