Film Victoria this morning announced support for another eight local video games, offering production, conception and release funding to a string of titles across PC, consoles and mobiles, including a “yet-to-be-named” sequel to the robot vacuum cleaning shenanigans of Roombo: First Blood and an adventure with some strong Zelda vibes.
Film Victoria also announced their support for Umbrella Party Studio’s Miska, and the upcoming action-adventure Lucen, an atmospheric explorer due out in 2021. A trailer for Lucen was released earlier this year, and there’s some official devlogs where you can see more about the game’s design and the overall direction below.
Miska‘s an intriguing title in that players have to climb a mountain peak in the Victorian National Park — but to do so, they have to clean up the environment and the overgrown fauna and flora along the way.
The six other titles backed by Film Victoria in the latest funding round are:
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Logical Lawns (working title) – by Ian MacLarty, a meditative, multi-layer logic-jigsaw puzzle game for mobile, Mac and PC about landscaping the gardens of a lavish estate whose owner has very particular tastes.
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Sounds & Secrets (working title) – by sound engineer Allison Walker, who was inspired by the changes in the soundscape as she walked home from work to create a game for Mac and PC about finding surreal sonic landscapes. Allison will explore her idea of the game being played entirely through sound, which would make it accessible for visually impaired players.
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Spiritwell – by David Chen, a role-playing adventure game for PC with hand-drawn pixel art and a storyline about a lost child who falls down a well into a world of spirits and must find their way home.
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A yet-to-be-named project by Olivia Haines for Mac and PC, with a strong feminine aesthetic and a beautiful, wistful story about a woman who returns to her hometown to examine an old relationship.
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The Stranger Next Door – by games researcher Fae Daunt, a horror narrative game for mobile that plays out in real-time through a fake social media interface.
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A yet-to-be-named sequel to Roombo: First Blood – by Samurai Punk, an action/comedy game for PC and consoles about a robot vacuum cleaner, set on a cruise ship.
A strong theme across all the games was the idea of nature, or returning to one’s home or original ecosystem. It’s a nice touch given the pandemic we’re all in, particularly Victoria which continues to be hit the hardest in Australia.
“Victoria’s digital games sector, along with our local animation and VFX sectors, have demonstrated their resilience during the pandemic, with this highly skilled workforce continuing to deliver outstanding content from their remote workplaces,” Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said in a release.
The next round of Film Victoria’s production funding will close on September 28, 2020, with more details available here.
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