Dima Veryovka and Sean Vesce, the art director and creative director respectively for Never Alone have revealed a trailer for their new project to the world: The Forest Song.
After working closely with the Iñupiat community for 2014’s Never Alone, the two directors have formed a new studio entitled Colabee Studios. The Forest Song will be the new studio’s first game, and by the looks of their trailer it looks as though it will be a beautiful exploration of Ukrainian culture and folklore.
In an official statement from Colabee Studios: “The Forest Song is a videogame adaptation of Lisova Pisnya (Лісова Пісня), a classic Ukrainian drama in which players assume the role of a peasant who has an extraordinary encounter with an elusive and powerful Forest Spirit. Their connection opens the player to a spirit world and sparks a dramatic clash between the supernatural inhabitants of the forest and the world of humans.”
The homepage of Colabee Studios’ website has a large banner that proclaims: “We make games that celebrate world culture,” and so it seems that Never Alone was the first release in what is something of a mission statement for the new studio.
Never Alone, despite being absolutely charming in its art and presentation – to say nothing of its educational vigour – did become rather repetitive, and the platforming was fairly stale in parts. Still, the studio is a young one, and when the art is as unique and beautiful as it is, hopefully the gameplay will match its heights in time.
