As if game development wasn't challenging enough, creating video games in the shadow of war amid a still ongoing global pandemic really is a remarkable feat. For the Ukrainian game developers who featured in the Future Games Show Powered by Mana's 'Games from Ukraine' segment – Weasel Token, Sowoke Entertainment Bureau, Andriy Bychkovskyi, WooFoo Games, and Sandman Team – this has been their reality every day for the last several months.
The events that have unfolded, and continue to unfold, in Eastern Europe this year are shocking and upsetting. But none of this has dampened the spirits of these creators – a character, vigor, and resolve reflected in each of their in-development projects, each spanning a different genre, telling a different story, and sharing a different message. Here, we take a closer look at each one in turn, including release dates, trailers, and where to follow them on social media.
Puzzles for Clef
Developer: Weasel Token
Steam page
Twitter: @WeaselToken
Puzzles for Clef is a gorgeous, laid back adventure meets puzzle game that follows the tale of the titular Clef – a charming bunny with a sense of adventure. After receiving a letter from her sister, Cres, Clef sets off to an island of her ancestors, and embarks on a treasure hunt filled with beauty, mystery and magic. As she travels, Clef explores the multi-region island's nooks and crannies, solves its myriad puzzles, and unearths its long-forgotten secrets, as she rediscovers her family's legacy.
Zero Losses
Developer: Sowoke Entertainment Bureau
Steam page
Twitter: @sowokegames
Zero Losses is a short open-world driving game with horror elements that's inspired by the events of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Players fill the shoes of a contract serviceman of a support battalion, not participating in the events on the frontline, but working in a chain of supplies behind it. While the player's comrades defend The Motherland by expanding its borders, they follow them behind the wheel of their truck. For long days, you'll drive through the deserted streets of ravaged cities and villages, diligently avoiding explosion craters. You won't carry ammunition or fuel, nor do you deal with medical support or intelligence. Zero Losses is not an action game, therefore your task is simple: to ensure the minimization of irretrievable losses, including preventing the loss of property and finding missing units.
Farlanders
Developer: Andriy Bychkovskyi
Twitter: @theundervault
Steam page
Farlanders is a turn-based Mars colony city-builder. Companies are colonizing Mars and settlers are lining up for a chance to start anew. Play as a colony architect and utilize terraforming technology to create a new home for your colonists, or else find them packing for a rival base. Lead the charge in establishing a colony on Mars in this turn-based strategy game that will challenge you to not only survive, but thrive. Use specialized tools to terraform the planet, build residential areas for your colonizers, and construct resource-producing factories in an effort to become a self-sustaining society on the Red Planet itself.
This Rain Will Never End
Developer: WooFoo Games
Twitter: @marginalact
Steam page
"First, the Mayor of the city hanged himself. Then the endless rain started. And now someone is knocking on my door. Who could it be?" This Rain Will Never End is a retro-inspired noir adventure game where you play as a cat detective who needs to investigate the suicide of the Mayor of Sunny city. In the wake of this unsettling event, the rain started pouring endlessly. No one knows why. And so begins your investigation.
Through the Nightmares
Developer: Sandman Team
Steam page
Facebook
Through the Nightmares is an ultra-stylish sidescroller that bills itself as an "atmospheric hardcore action-platformer". In doing so, players fill the shoes of the Sandman wandering the world of children's nightmares, finding children and helping them overcome their fears. Beware, though – watch out for the almighty Morpheus!
If you want to help the people of Ukraine, consider donating to The Ukrainian Red Cross, which is providing vital aid on the ground; Doctors Without Borders, which is working with local volunteers and healthcare professionals; and The Kyiv Independent, a Ukraine-based English-language newspaper which is keeping the world informed on what's happening on the ground.
