Game publisher Annapurna is having a very busy game year ahead. In addition to publishing the upcoming “Sayonara Wild Hearts” rhythm game, Annapurna has also announced that it will be fronting the release of Irish visual novel “If Found…” in 2020.
Venture Beat reports that Annapurna is teaming up with Irish independent game developer Dreamfeel to bring the coming-of-age story to video game format.
The game is the brainchild of Llaura Ash McGee. According to the publication, If Found… takes on a bold look at issues concerning family and community in the eyes of the main character, an introvert named Kasio.
PC Games N states that the game will take place in the early 1990s in Ireland. Specifically, players can dive into the mind of Kasio, a rebellious teenager, and play through several of her memories.
According to Eurogamer, each chapter in the game represents a significant life event in Kasio’s life, immortalized in an entry in her diary. Kasio reads the diary the whole night in New Year’s Eve and eventually destroys it page by page.
Venture Beat reveals some of the memories that players can witness and explore. These include Kasio and her family transferring the residence into an empty but huge mansion, Kasio’s exploration of her musical tastes with a punk band, and metaphysical stuff like destroying the universe.
If Found… will feature output from a variety of talented artists. The nostalgic and thought-provoking graphics are hand-drawn by Liadh Young. 2mello and Eli Rainsberry helm the production of the original music for the game.
Other home-grown Irish music talents will also contribute to the soundtrack, under license, PC Games N says.
This year will also see Annapurna releasing the game “Sayonara Wild Hearts,” which it previewed to audiences in the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June. The game also made an appearance at PAX West this month.
Sayonara Wild Hearts is developed by Studio Simogo and features a surreal adventure involving various protagonists and lots of music. The Verge previewed the game in E3 and described it as an energetic rhythmic game with varying challenges for the player.
Simon Flesser of Simogo himself stated in a blog post that the game is influenced heavily by current pop-culture. Flesser cited Carla Rae Jepsen, Sailor Moon, Rhythm Tengoku, and even Tron as inspirations for “Sayonara Wild Hearts.”
