#krillbite studio

Indie Game Spotlight: Mosaic

We are back this week with another Indie Game Spotlight. This time we're taking a look at Mosaic—a mysterious narrative game in which you follow the lonely, repetitive life of a commuter in a cold and dystopian modern city. One day, weird things start to happen, and the main character begins to uncover the city's secrets. This is a game about humanity, modern society, and the systems we surround ourselves with.

We spoke with Jon Cato Lorentzen, producer and general manager at Krillbite. He told us all about the game and what he hopes players will take away from it. Read on!

Mosaic explores themes of isolation, surrealism, and existentialism. What do you hope players might take away from the experience?

Hopefully, we have created an experience that will resonate with players and give them something to think about. Mosaic is our take on modern society, in which we have surrounded ourselves with all these rules and systems and technologies—without really thinking about the consequences. We aim to deliver a powerful narrative that we think many people will recognize.

The visuals are beautiful! What did it take for the team to find the right art style for Mosaic?

We worked through several iterations, from a softer, much more cartoon-like style, to the hard and almost brutalist style the game has today. At the early prototype stage, we spent some time at Double Fine’s offices in San Francisco, which was a great source of inspiration for us. The following year, we consulted with their art director Lee Petty about the different style versions we had explored until we landed on the current aesthetic.

How does Mosaic hope to encourage players to break out of the system they find themselves in?

We encourage the player to go against the system whenever they can in the game, and reward them for doing so, but we don’t push them in that direction. We want it to be a conscious choice, not something the game forces you to do. We do, however, think that some of the most beautiful scenes in the game can be discovered by going against the system, so we hope that will be encouragement enough for players to break out of the main protagonist's monotonous daily routines.

In what way does the game address mental health? 

We touch upon some themes that are relevant today, like the feeling of urban isolation. Even though we as a society have developed technologies that help us be more connected with others than ever before, people feel more isolated and alone than ever. Another theme the game explores is the unhealthy work-life balance prevalent in many societies due to an overemphasis on careers.

In Mosaic, you can experience the main character's fragile health as a result of living in this cold and inhumane environment, and help him cope.

Mosaic available now on Nintendo Switch

Mosaic

E3 2019 Trailer

Among the Sleep: Enhanced Edition will launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch on May 29, publisher Soedesco and developer Krillbite announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via Soedesco:

About

Among the Sleep, developed by Norwegian developer Krillbite, is an extraordinary first person horror game that tells the story of a two-year old child going on a terrifying trip around the house in order to find its missing mother.

Enhanced Edition with extra content

Among the Sleep: Enhanced Edition contains the completely new Museum Level, with behind the scenes content and extra footage. It also includes a digital artbook and a digital soundtrack. Moreover, players now get to choose which pajamas their character wears in the game. Finally, a new dialogue has been added and a plethora of improvements were made in terms of visuals, performance and gameplay.

Key Features

Enhanced edition with extra content, better performance and updated visuals.

Put the pieces of the puzzle together to find out what has happened to your mother.

Unravel a disturbing story filled with tension, symbolism and psychological horror.

Creep through threatening environments like a twisted forest and a dark house.

Watch a new trailer below.

First-person horror game Among the Sleep is coming to Switch in 2019 as Among the Sleep: Enhanced Edition, publisher Soedesco and developer Krillbite Studio announced.

The Switch version, which is being ported by Soedesco Studios, will feature “enhanced graphics, dialogue, and other significant improvements.”

Among the Sleep first launched for PC, Mac, and Linux in May 2014, followed by PlayStation 4 in December 2015 and Xbox One in June 2016.

Here is an overview of the game, via Soedesco:

About

In Among the Sleep, players assume the role of a defenseless two-year old toddler who has lost his mommy. With an unusual teddy bear as his only companion, he wanders off through the eerily dark house to find her. What follows is a haunting search through grim and twisted environments, experienced through the eyes of a scared child.

Key Features

Enhanced edition with new dialogue, better performance, visuals, and more.

Put the pieces of the puzzle together to find out what has happened to your mother.

Creep through threatening environments like a twisted forest and a dark house.