Indie Italian developer LF Games, run by Benevento-based developer and artist Luigi Fucci, is working on Darwake – a twisted lovechild from the likes of Tim Burton, David Lynch, and even Carl Jung.

Fucci is seeking funding to complete the game over on Kickstarter, with an initial funding goal of €25,000 ($28,172) to make the game for Windows PC (via Steam, GOG, etc) and smartphones.

If the game is funded, there’s an immediate stretch goal at €35,000 ($38,421) to do console ports on Xbox, Switch, and PlayStation. A final stretch goal at €50,000 ($56,345) will bring on more team members to speed up development and add “full art + more levels.”

Here’s a new gameplay trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6srpiRJE1d8

Here’s a rundown on the game:

Darwake

Darwake captures the American pop-surrealism aesthetics within a unique structure designed for complete immersivity and expandability in a fullblown transmedia project, with the final objective to establish a new narrative universe.  Think of a twisted lovechild between Tim Burton, David Lynch, and Carl Gustav Jung. Darwake satisfies the neverending thirst of gamers for surreal experiences, filling a neglected niche in the game market by combining highly suggestive lowbrow art with challenging, deep game mechanics.

Overview

Darwake is a puzzle platforming game where the player is thrown into a dark and eerie world. Accompanied only by a mysterious Owl, our melancholic hero Darwin must find a way out of maze-like levels, solving environmental puzzles based on the symbiotic relationship between him and the strange creature and fighting larger-than-life bosses.

Story and Setting

Darwin Marelaw, is an only child and descendant of the Marelaw Family. For centuries, his family has passed heir upon heir a strange sleeping disorder, which traps him inside horrible nightmares. This unexplainable comalike state is caused by stressful events, or an imminent struggle, and can’t be cured by any medicine but the sheer force of will. The player’s goal is to wake up Darwin from his nightmare and try to put an end to his family’s curse.

The world of Darwake has a deep unsettling undertone that defies cliches and expectations. Levels are set inside Darwin’s asleep consciousness, a place where the world’s common sense and logic are turned upside down leading to creepy and nonsensical situations. This is not your common “hero doing good deeds” story. The timburtonesque, gothic aesthetics serve as a delicious visual threat leading to a remarkably bizarre psychological adventure: levels are populated by strange and outlandish creatures, yet it’s up to the players to give an interpretation to what they see once they awake, much like in a dream.

Gameplay

A walk-through of an example game session follows: A Darwake level opens with Darwin and the Owl sitting at the lower end of the screen. The playable character provides 3 different Modes, which can be switched by pressing the corresponding buttons. The player must cycle between the Modes and choose the required mode to advance through specific zones and progress inside environmental puzzles based on collaboration.

The game adopts a typical 2D sidescrolling camera view. The player is required to go forward inside a game level; the level design has a focus on environmental puzzles and offers a slightly difficult platforming challenge. The game scraps realtime action in favor of puzzle-solving. The aim of the game is to reach the end of the level going from point A to B, across a predetermined path; the level is subdivided into zones that are reachable only by using the required mode.

A typical situation (check images below for reference) sees the player stuck in front of a closed bridge (Scene 1). Now, he needs to switch to Mode 2 and send the Owl across the gap until it stumbles upon the big Horse (Scene 2). Atop the Horse sits a big, interactable lantern switch. Then Owl collides with the interactable, lightening it up and activating the Horse’s traction system (Scene 3), which eventually trains the bridge forward clearing the way for Darwin (Scene 4).

When Owl walks away, the camera will also follow it, leaving Darwin all alone by himself… Similarly, Darwin can walk away asimmetrically and do his own thing, collaborating with Owl from a distance. You can easily switch the camera view between the two characters and regain control of one of them alternatively. Each of the Character’s States has his own pro and cons. E.g.: Solo Darwin can swim into water, while the other states are unable to. Meanwhile, Owl can fly or cast fire. Such pros and cons are vital to game balancement and are the “lego bricks” upon which the level designer can build the experience.

Across the levels, many Collectibles are scattered around; they can be collected by completist players in order to solve advanced Achievements. The level can be cleared multiple times to gain all of the collectibles, offering a great replayability opportunity. Collectibles are not useful to beat the game, yet they can unlock new levels or new lore information.

The Lantern

The Lantern is not just a fancy game object. It is the true symbol of the game, representing the essence of light guiding Darwin to his awakening. The element of the Lantern can also be used for many branding and merchandising opportunities (e.g. a glowing necklace, a purse, a ring, etc.).

The Lantern also offers many gameplay opportunities, as it can be upgraded gradually over the course of the game to adapt to new situations and open new pathways. The Lantern’s flame can transform in many different ways, acquiring new states and powers by collecting items: it can become a lighting jolt, a cloudy platform to access new areas and so on. This element also can be used to scale up the game into a full-blown Metroidvania gameplay.

Characters – Creatures – Enemies

Darwin can kill enemies on his way. Every enemy needs his own strategies in order to be killed, and this works in conjunction with the three different states of Darwin, as each of them as his own pros and cons. Despite their creepy aspect, not every creature incountered by Darwin is a baddie: sometimes, a creature can be a useful ally to resolve some puzzles and unlock new goodies. Some creatures may offer key items to Darwin, as a gift… or ask other items in return.

Darwake is much more than the sum of its parts, as all of the previous game elements can be mixed and matched to create an always infinite array of new and surprising game situations.

Boss Fights

The game also offers spectacular Boss fights with gigantic projections from Darwin’s mind. These combat sessions involve the same puzzle elements as the regular gameplay while introducing a further focus on verticality and proportions, with the Bosses towering over the small Darwin.

Such key moments of the game are a reward on their own for the player to witness, and dramatically expand the mythology of the game, adding unexpected turns and twists to the already highly imaginative lore of the project, and are going to be depicted with highly suggestive cutscenes.