Red pandas are all the rage at the moment, it seems, as developer Cosmic Gatto — a professional animator who has worked with DreamWorks Studio animator — has unveiled Aka, an open-world game where you are looking to find "inner peace".
You play as Aka, a retired red panda soldier who has decided to settle on a small island after the end of the war. Here, he must seek out the Ghosts who inhabit the land and help to rest their souls by bringing them closure to their lives.
The game is a mix of open-world exploration, life and farming simulation, and quest-based adventuring, all with a heavy focus on nature. Some of the locales and features, such as the giant capybara, Aka's bearded companion, and the water train, all feel reminiscent of a gorgeous Studio Ghibli movie. That train in particular is straight out of Spirited Away!
The trailer above showcases Pine Tree Island, which is an island that has been inspired by the southwest of France, featuring European scenery with lush fields and lots of ivy-covered ruins. The game's Steam page also details a handful of other islands — Maple Tree Island, inspired by Canada; Bamboo Island, which will take on an East Asian look; and Palm Tree Island, which takes us to South Asia and South America visually.
These are just a few of the things you can expect to do on these islands, courtesy of publisher Neowiz:
- Exploration and decoration of the islands by crafting and farming.
- A wide array of mini-games.
- Peaceful activities such as taking a nap, looking at a cloud, swimming, and more.
- Help the island denizens by interacting with them and helping them solve their problems.
Players will be able to control Aka and help him grow plants, flowers, and vegetables in a system inspired by permaculture. Garden design and wild animals will play a role in what plants you grow, how you grow them, and how successful you are. You will also need to construct a shelter, clothes, and items for the quests that you'll need to undertake to make friends and help Ghosts. The game isn't linear either, and you can choose to do many of the game's quests in whatever order you want.
But, don't worry, if that all sounds like hard work, there are plenty of chances to take a break — we did say you could sleep on the giant capybara, right?
Aka will sprout onto the Switch eShop sometime this year. Will you be picking it up? Let us know, or just take some time to gush over how adorable this game looks.
Comments 19
If this can give me the same kind of serene entertainment value as a short hike then I'm in!
If Turning Red taught us anything, it's that people bloody love red pandas. Look at this precious round boy
Looks lovely. Will keep an eye on it.
...Looks nothing like a Ghibli movie, wtf? lol
@Joeynator3000 Maybe not the art style, but I can kind of see a resemblance in the environment designs.
Ooo. This looks to be about my speed. I'm getting vibes of Carto and A Short Hike. Both of those put me at ease while fostering a spirit of curiosity and mischief. Good stuff.
Lovely art style. Also I will say I've never seen a capybara looking so cute. Whenever I see one they always have this condescending expression, as far a rodents go.
Reminds me of Turning Red and Aggretsuko.
I also like the art style.
I'm sold.
Anyone know what this is also known as?
Such a peaceful game with no battles just like Lonesome Village. For those who want to succeed in life with no violence, this may be your game.
Looks marvelous!
This looks incredible!!! Hopefully it is fun. I generally like more combat centric games but this looks gorgeous and promising.
Looks delightful. Will check it out when it's available.
Wish this was actually on the eshop so I could wishlist it! Looks adorable
@Joeynator3000 it might look better on more capable hardware.
It looks beautiful but it almost sounds too serene to keep me awake. With in-game activities like taking a nap and watching clouds, I'll be sleeping before my character is.
Wile I think the game looks amazing and I will indeed keep an eye on it I just cannot agree with it looking like a gihbli movie, or the vibe, it reminded me of turning red if anything.
Dang this could be something good. I'll be looking at for it later this year!
@Boogaloo_Jenkins A Short Hike I loved the graphics and nice music and scenery. But didn't care for the dialogue. It's like they tried too hard to make it "cool" or "interesting" and it didn't seem sincere.
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