About this project
Coming for PC, Mac, and Linux!
"... one of the most memorable experiences I had at PAX Prime 2015" - Jake Carewick, AYBOnline
"Like a watercolor painting brought to life" - Josh Speer, Operation Rainfall
Has your life ever changed in a single day?
The Last Shore tells the story of a girl whose world turns upside down, and her quest to right it.
When the gods threaten her home and family, she sets off on a journey across the ocean. The player will visit islands scattered across the sea, finding artifacts that will help her on her quest.
The Last Shore is a game about mystery, exploration, and facing your fears. It's about the beauty and solitude of the ocean. It's about when your world is upset, and you have to do something.
The Girl
The Last Shore is a game (almost) devoid of narration. Text in the game is very minimal, limited to chapter titles; the story will all be told in wordless animations and images. This creates a strong thematic core to the game, and leaves the player to fill in details.
So just who is the girl, then? She is scared but determined, young but capable. She is willing to do anything to save the ones she loves.
I have two daughters, ages twelve and thirteen. They're the center of my life, so for me she represents a lot of my hopes (and fears) for them. I know they'll face obstacles in their lives, and I hope they'll have the courage to face them and triumph.
The Islands
Spread across the ocean are islands. Some are simple bits of land; others house temples, caverns, or mazes. And some hide the powerful artifacts you will need to attain your goal.
With combat to fight and puzzles to solve, the gameplay here will be focused and intense. Anyone who has played a Zelda game should have some idea of my goals with the islands - although I like to think that the combat is a bit more free-flowing and fast-paced.
Abilities
Since the game is all about exploration and discovery, I don't want to reveal all of the abilities here. The first two, however, are visible in the trailer:
- Bow: In the temple of Artemis, you'll find the Bow, the first of the ancient weapons needed to battle the gods. The Bow generates its own ammunition as needed, and allows you to take on most basic enemies. Pull back longer to build up the arrow's power and pierce multiple enemies!
- Sword: Hidden in the volcano of Ares lies the Sword, a powerful hand-to-hand weapon that carves a brutal swath around you. Damage dealt is less than the Bow, but this weapon has the ability to hit many more targets at once. By attacking in rapid sequence, you can unleash a combo that will devastate all enemies nearby.
The Ocean
The waves and water play a huge part in the mood of this game. The ocean is vast and contemplative, and creates a distinct break in mood from the pace of the islands.
Barring, of course, the occasional sea monster.
When people hear about sailing across the ocean, a common first reaction is to compare it to Wind Waker. However, I've drawn the inspiration here more from Shadow of the Colossus and Proteus.
I've always admired the pacing of SotC - the contrast between the frenzied battles, and the mellow, exploratory horse rides in between. It stands out to me as a truly bold, and effective, game design choice.
Proteus resonated with me in a similar way - I love the opportunity to wander around and discover little details about how the world works, and trigger all sorts of beautiful interactions with the environment.
Hopefully that gives you an idea of the direction I'm headed with the sailing: a beautiful, contemplative ocean, with just a touch of danger, and hidden mechanics to explore.
Oh, and every time you start a new game, the islands and all of the underwater features are rearranged.
Feedback from players
- "As soon as the logo played I knew what I was in for, and it continued delivering. I got the mood of a fusion of Shadow of the Colossus with early-90s PC Adventure games (Loom, say); and it felt good."
- "The Last Shore has a timeless sense of wonder and place almost no games these days have. It's really gorgeous and absolutely worth your time."
- "The details in the art (such as the waves crashing against the rocks) and the rapturous music give a real sense of place and grandeur. There is so much mystery in the little bit that I've already had the opportunity to play."
Rewards
Progress
Stretch Goals
About Me
I'm Andy Seavy, founder of Pulpo Games. Being a one-person studio, I'm also Lead Designer, Head Engineer, Art Director, and Chief Sanitation Manager.
Before founding this studio I worked in the game industry for ten years - at places like Monolith, Sony Online, Griptonite, Loose Cannon Studios, and PopCap Games. I've been a designer, a programmer, and even an artist (for a whole week).
Some of the games I've worked on:
- Plants vs Zombies 2 by PopCap / Electronic Arts
- Tornado Outbreak by Loose Cannon Studios
- The Matrix Online by Monolith, and Sony Online Entertainment
Being the lead designer on a big project probably isn't what most people imagine it is. You do have a lot of responsibility, but you don't get a ton of freedom; many choices are made at other organizational levels.
The best part of working at a big studio is all the amazing people that you meet and get to work with on these games. You can't make big games without a team effort. A lot of people are involved from the beginning to the end of the design and development process to make a great game. I've been fortunate to have worked with so many talented individuals and teams during my career - they're some of the best in the industry.
As great as it was to work with those teams, it was time for a change. I wanted to make the creative calls and create something that meant more to me on a deeply personal level. To have the freedom to do that I was going to need to work for myself, so I founded my own company.
Now I've started Pulpo Games, to focus on lovingly handcrafted games that leave a mark on the player. Steering my own course, living the indie dream...
That's where you come in!
Risks and challenges
I've tackled a few of the most common risks up front:
1. Lack of knowledge about making a game
I've shipped 5 games and worked on a couple of others that failed to ship; I know what it takes to make a game, and some of the dangers that can doom a project.
2. Team issues (not finding the right people, people dropping out of the project)
Ah, the glory of being a one person studio! I don't need to find any key people to make this project work, nor do I have any huge external dependencies.
3. Distribution
The game has already been Greenlit on Steam.
That said, of course there are always risks.
1. Scheduling - I think this is the worst thing that crops up and hurts games. Some feature ends up taking way longer than expected; people get attached to something that is taking way too long - or worse, commit late to a new feature that destroys the schedule completely.
I'm not planning any crazy stretch goals that will overcommit me - no multiplayer anytime soon! I'll also be revisiting the schedule and using a burndown chart to see how my estimates are lining up with the actual work.
2. General roadblocks - something unexpected could crop up to derail the project. Hardware failure... Health issues... Kids in jail... Meteor...
I'm taking all reasonable steps to address these, including frequent backups to an external hard drive. And if an issue comes up that is completely outside my control, I may have to confront the gods themselves...
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Funding period
- (31 days)