The Edo period of Japanese culture is one that’s been immortalized in countless mediums, usually through the artistic styling of ukiyo-e, which translates to “art of the floating world”. It’s a beautiful and historically prominent Japanese art style taken from woodblock prints, and it’s implemented very well in a project called The Floating World, an episodic adventure game being developed by a multi-national group of programming newcomers.
Being lost, alone, and hopelessly confused in an unfamiliar land is a feeling we can all imagine to some degree, and The Floating World builds on this to bring the audience a sense of true isolation, but one that can be overcome by wit and careful thought. Real-world locations and the traditional Edo art style are brought to vivid, moving life in the environments and characters presented in images and video on The Floating World’s Kickstarter page. You play as an English speaker surrounded entirely by people who speak Japanese (and only Japanese), and you’re tasked with translating the dialogue using objects in the environment as a linguistic reference to progress through the story. The Floating World oozes historical accuracy and isolation in a new and interesting way.
To get involved with The Floating World, you can donate anywhere from $15 to $8,000 (Canadian) and snag rewards ranging from copies of the game to a multiplayer gaming session with the creator and more. You can also check out animations, art, prototype gameplay and more on Kickstarter. If funded, The Floating World will release in three episodes on PC and Mac.
[facebook][tweet][Google][pinterest][follow id=”Cliqist” size=”large” count=”true” ]
