Thierry Brimioulle of Pipette Inc. isn’t trying to create a game centered on a meaningful critique of society. No, he’s trying to build his studio’s entire philosophy around it. This desire is what brought him to Kickstarter to raise funds for his first game, The Man Came Around.
Part survival game, part political fable, the campaign is seeking $10,585 in backer funding. The game’s story explores how democracy can fail, plunging society into crisis. The story takes place in the fictional nation of Occida. Players are dropped into the conflict between activist organization, “The Many” and Occida’s rapidly decaying government. As the country rushes towards a full-blown dictatorship, five citizens attempt to flee to the Northern border.
Playing as five characters means group dynamics and moral choices play a heavy role in the story. Death is permanent and each character’s psyche can be adversely affected by the stress and guilt of poor decisions. This makes the harrowing adventure even more unpredictable as characters lash out in unexpected ways when their spirits falter.
Playing With Politics
The developer self-identifies as “an incorrigible leftist” so it shouldn’t be surprising to see these values reflected in gameplay. The Man Came Around heavily criticizes political corruption and neoliberal greed. Brimioulle acknowledges that this criticism may not make his project popular with a certain vocal segment of the internet.
“Doing anything political is risky, especially in video games. The internet is vast and full of trolls. But I don’t really mind what alt-right Nazis will think of me, so if you don’t like the project, too bad!”
Meanwhile, the rest of us are free to download the demo for The Man Came Around and check out its unique, 2D speed painted, graphic style. There’s nothing like our current political climate to get you evaluating which principles you’d sacrifice for survival. The Man Came Around looks to be the perfect project to start with.
