Analgesic Productions the developer behind Anodyne 1 & 2 has revealed their brand-new project called Sephonie which will release on PC in 2021. Sephonie is a story-driven 3D platformer and the PC release will be exclusive via Steam. A Mac and Linux release is also planned alongside the PC release.
Set under the island of Sephonie, you must explore a massive cave network and link with unidentified species using the novel Puzzle Grid system. You step in the shoes of biologists Amy, Ing-wen, and Riyou who are shipwrecked on the island and must explore the island’s depths as you unravel both scientific and spiritual mysteries. The game features different abilities that will help you traverse the island.
Abilities such as Teledash Vault, Wallrun, high jumps, and swift grapples will allow you to overcome different types of obstacles in the game. You will need to fling yourself over high ledges and sometimes use Sprint to cover long distances. For crossing dangerous outcroppings, you will need to use Wallrun. You can even use the environment such as plants and animals to get new abilities and progress in the game.
You will be able to research the island’s unknown creatures as well by linking with them. Moving around is done by the game’s one-of-a-kind Puzzle Grid system as you rotate and place a series of multi-colored puzzle pieces onto the board and collect large, same-colored islands. Inside the caves, you will find both small and big animals fulfilling their role in the cave’s ecosystem and each offering a unique challenge to you to overcome.
The official press release describes the story as:
In the near future, three biologists are on a joint research trip to use their ONYX implants to research the creatures of the uninhabited Sephonie Island. However, a mysterious phenomenon destroys their ship, leaving them shipwrecked.
Amy Lim, Taiwanese-American and bold leader, hails from the midwestern USA town of Bloomington. Riyou Hayashi, an analytically-minded Japanese-Taiwanese researcher, calls the bustling Tokyo his home. And Ing-wen Lin, a kind and considerate Taiwanese scientist, lives in Taipei.
The trio will find their motivations and loyalties put to the test as they navigate Sephonie’s caverns, facing not only rocks and creatures but also their deepest memories and dreams. As they grow more intimate with each other and the island, an ancient force, brewing deep in the island’s abyss, may threaten their newfound relationship, and the world…
Key features of Sephonie include:
- A deep, emotional story about the close bonds of a trio, the priorities of nations, and the delicate connection of humans and nature, spanning beyond human history.
- A human experience crafted entirely by the IGF Grand Prize-nominated duo of Marina Kittaka and Melos Han-Tani, behind works such as Anodyne 1 & 2, Even the Ocean, and All Our Asias.
- Master a parkour-esque moveset to sprint, wallrun, jump, and fling yourself through Sephonie Island’s rocky and physical caverns.
- A novel and accessible Puzzle Grid System that will stretch your brain in fun ways.
- A beautiful and varied cave system filled with all manner of large and surprising creatures
Additional details about the game will be revealed at a later stage. If you want to follow the game, a Steam page is now live for Sephonie and you can add the game to your Wishlist as well.
Let us know in the comments section below whether you would be interested in playing Sephonie when it comes out later this year or not.
