After teasing us with a cryptic contest and equally cryptic description for its upcoming game, arcada mia, Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble! developer Mousechief has revealed the first bit of game artwork and further gameplay details. After reading the press release we’re pretty much just as confused as before, but we’re definitely looking forward to it.
After teasing us with a cryptic contest and equally cryptic description for its upcoming game, arcada mia, Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble! developer Mousechief has revealed the first bit of game artwork and further gameplay details. After reading the press release we’re pretty much just as confused as before, but we’re definitely looking forward to it.
Much like Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble! before it, arcada mia looks like it’s going to be one of those games that’s impossible to fit under any one label or genre.
“We tried relating ‘arcada mia‘ to earlier works,” explained Mousechief in the recent press release. “The natural assumption has been, “Oh, it’s that kind of game!”, which will lead to broken expectations. So this time we’ll declare our game (especially its core mechanic) is not like any of these:
a) ‘Civilization’ by Sid Meier
b) ‘Puzzle Quest’
c) ‘Oregon Trail’
d) ‘King of Dragon Pass’
e) ‘Passage’ by Jason Rohrer
…but ‘arcada mia‘ has qualities of each of them:
a) The game presents a vast sweep of time and discoveries that influence culture.
b) A central, casual mechanic, deep enough for core gamers, drives a narrative.
c) Strategize to survive events across time.
d) Navigate narrative challenges with interesting choices that rarely repeat.
e) Story emerges from play actions during each generation’s lifespan.
“To date, casual games have been wrapped in fairy tales and comic books, because few understood that games can be fine art. Not to lessen the greatness of many existing games, literary interactive storytelling is difficult to make accessible and engaging. Perhaps, as Hemingway helped break literature out of stuffy tomes, a casual game will emerge to bring fine art to a ready audience.”
All we can tell you so far is that Mousechief is calling arcada mia a “Back and Forth Tactics” game:
Spend tokens to move forward. To get tokens, move backwards. It’s that simple, a simplicity which masks its depth. Every turn, the optimal use of tokens can change tremendously.
In the greater scheme, you must juggle competition and cooperation with peers in your social caste. Raising children strains resources. Courtship is a race. And stories of the age challenge and reward, but keep aware. Not every reward is worth the price, nor is every downturn disaster.
There’s more info on the game’s official website. Color us intrigued so far!
