When it comes to narrative-driven games, there are a handful of projects from which you really want to take inspiration. Fortunately, Relic is hitting all the right notes in this regard.
Relic was announced earlier this month as the debut project by London-based developer, Robot Zoo Games. It’s a first-person experience that places story at the front and center, citing games like Firewatch and Thatgamecompany’s seminal Journey as its inspiration. Set in a fantastical world, the game stars a forest guardian named Spriggan (nicknamed Sprig) and their best friend Flax. Both are summoned to – and stranded upon – an Earth-like planet and set about exploring it, uncovering its ancient secrets.
The game is clearly in early development stages right now; there’s no gameplay screenshots or footage to speak of, but the concept art hints as a whimsical adventure. As the game progresses, Sprig will learn new abilities to help the pair explore, opening up new areas. Robot Zoo Games is also hinting that players will be able to either gain or betray the trust of the planet’s inhabitants, and hinted to us that there will be some gameplay mechanics that involve both Sprig and Flax, rather than just the main character.
Right now Relic is in development for the Oculus Rift and will also be released in 2D for standard PC monitors. The developer isn’t ready to confirm if it could come to HTC Vive or PlayStation VR just yet. Rest assured that the game is being built with VR in mind, however, featuring staples like an optimized user-interface. You can learn more about London Zoo Games’ work in making the game in a new development blog over on its official website.
There’s no release date on Relic right now, though it’s certainly one we’ll keep an eye out for in the future.
