Rakuen isn’t a game about space marines, or fast cars, or professional sports, or multi-hit combos. Instead, you play a sick young boy stuck in a hospital, who is transported to the fantasy world his mother reads him stories about.
Its developers claim inspiration from Maniac Mansion, To the Moon and The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, though stress that there aren’t any battles. All you do is walk around the world solving puzzles and talking with people, learning more about the stories behind other patients in the hospital and how/why the place is tied to a fantasy realm.
“In helping those around him”, the game’s brief reads, “the Boy deals with questions about empathy, hope, and what it means to leave behind a legacy by coming to terms with your own story.”
Rakuen is being worked on by creator and programmer Laura Shigihara (incidentally the composer of the Plants vs Zombies soundtrack) and artist Emmy Toyonaga, who aside from working for people like EA also dabbles in badass cosplay.
They’re hoping to have the game out in 2014 on PC.
Rakuen[Site]
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4 responses to “Fantasy Hospital Game With Sick Kids In Danger Of Ending In Tears”
Probably also worth mentioning that Laura Shigihara worked on the To The Moon soundtrack, which the game is drawing some inspiration from.
+1 though I think she only composed one song, it was a real stand out amongst an already amazing soundtrack
Yeah, she only did “Everything’s Alright” but that’s the one that sticks most in most heads I think, although the soundtrack as a whole was great.
Supershigi is doing a game? I’m all in.