Kona (computer game)
| Kona | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Parabolas |
| Publisher | Parabolas |
| Senior Developer | Alexandre Fiset |
| composer | CuréLabel |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
March 10, 2016 (episode 1) |
| platform | Linux , macOS , Microsoft Windows , PlayStation 4 , Xbox One |
| Game engine | Unity |
| genre | Adventure |
| control | Mouse & keyboard or gamepad |
| medium | Download |
| language | English France |
Kona is an adventure game from the Canadian development studio Parabole. The hybrid of point-and-click adventure and survival horror is set in the far north of Canada and was published by Parabole in episode format from March 2016.
action
Kona is set in the 1970s. The action takes place in the north of the Canadian province of Quebec . The player takes on the role of private detective Carl Faubert. Its client, the industrialist W. Hamilton, accuses the Cree Indian tribe of breaking into their summer residence on Lake Atamipek. Faubert makes his way north, but is surprised by a blizzard shortly before his destination . It was only with great effort that he reached the village named after the nearby lake, where he found neither his employer nor any other inhabitant. At the northern end of the village, Faubert comes across a bottomless abyss that runs through the middle of the highway leading out of the village and near which there is a mysterious, glowing wall of ice. As the game progresses, Faubert comes across notes that the residents of Atamipek left behind before they disappeared, and gets into a scavenger hunt that an unknown villager organized for Faubert.
Game principle and technology
The using the Unity - Engine created Kona is a first-person -Adventure, that is, the representation of the action takes place from the perspective of the player. The camera can be rotated freely in all directions. Movement within the game world is done using the WASD keys. In addition to moving on foot, in certain situations the player can use vehicles such as his car or a snowmobile, which can also be controlled using the WASD buttons. With the help of additional buttons, the player can access his inventory and interact with his environment, for example by using a found key on a door lock. Occasional encounters with wild animals have been integrated as a survival element, which the player can defend against by fleeing or using weapons. Actions of the player are commented on at some points by a narrator's voice from the off, whose warning-free introduction after long pauses represents a mood-generating stylistic device analogous to a jump-scare . In contrast to most adventure games, Kona takes place like an open-world game in an open game world that is completely open to the player from the start and is about two miles in diameter. As part of the exploration of the game world, the player must take into account the cold outside closed rooms. He is forced to use warm clothing and fire to keep himself warm and to prevent death from frostbite. The maximum load capacity of the game character and his stress level must also be taken into account. Designer Alexandre Fiset describes the resulting game concept as "Survival Adventure". The game is divided into four episodes that are released individually. Additional play areas are to be activated for each episode. Kona supports the Oculus Rift .
Production notes
Kona is the first self-produced game by the Canadian studio Parabole; previously the company only had commissioned work such as B. promotional games created. Fiset previously worked for Beenox as a producer. According to Fiset, one of the objectives in designing the gaming environment was to visualize the landscape and culture of Quebec in order to contrast the interchangeable gaming landscapes of the majority of video games with an environment with identity and local flavor. To finance the production of the game, which was originally to be called Kôna , Parabole resorted to a crowdfunding campaign on the Kickstarter platform , in the course of which 40,000 CAD (~ 27,400 €) were to be collected. The goal was just achieved after a four-week campaign. The completion of the game was announced for April 2015. In December 2014, Parabole received around CAD 100,000 (~ € 71,200) from the Canadian Media Fund for the development of Kôna . After some delays, the game was renamed Kona (without Accent circonflexe ) in March 2016 , and the first episode was released as early access software via the distribution platforms Steam and GOG.com . In July 2016, Publisher Parabole reported 10,000 units sold. The official publication took place in March 2017. In June 2018, without prior notice, it was implemented as additional paid content for the virtual reality systems PlayStation VR , HTC Vive and Oculus Rift .
The game's soundtrack features pieces by the Quebec folk band CuréLabel. The role of the English speaker is taken by François Devost, a children's theater writer and speaker; the French narrator is the actor Guy Nadon ( J'en suis! ). The script for the game was created by David Bélanger, who was a doctoral candidate in literary studies at the Université de Montréal at the time of writing.
reception
The online magazine GIGA described Kona as the “Indie surprise of Gamescom ” and recorded a “breathtaking snow atmosphere” and “cool story twists”. Based on the early access version, Rob Zacny from Rock, Paper, Shotgun saw a “wonderful atmosphere” and felt a “feeling of threatening isolation”, but criticized the lack of character drawing of the game character and the lack of emotional connection to the game world and its alleged residents which he attributed to the empty content of the big game world. US website Polygon lists Kona in its “100 Games to Look Forward to 2015” list. In terms of content, the magazine compared Kona with exploration games like Dear Esther or Gone Home , in which the atmosphere of the game is in the foreground. Kotaku praised the credible game environment and the didactic approach of the game, allowing the player to follow a narrative thread, while at the same time allowing him complete freedom in exploring the area. The magazine criticized the too high density of information when conveying the background story at the beginning of the game as well as numerous small design mistakes, which it attributed to the unfinished state of the game and the low budget.
Web links
- Official website
- Kona at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ PCGamer.com: Kona hands-on: investigating a winter wonderland gone wrong. Retrieved July 21, 2016 .
- ↑ Cliqist.com: Alexandre Fiset Discusses Survival Story, Kona. Retrieved July 22, 2016 .
- ^ A b French-Canadian adventure Kona hits Kickstarter target. In: polygon . Retrieved July 20, 2016 .
- ↑ Exchange rate from August 2014
- ^ Kickstarter.com: Kona. Retrieved June 24, 2016 .
- ↑ Exchange rate from January 2015
- ↑ KonaGame.com: CMF allocates $ 113,709 to The Production of Kona. Retrieved July 25, 2016 .
- ↑ 4Players.de: New title for Kôna: Day One; Early Access launched on Steam. Retrieved July 21, 2016 .
- ↑ Kickstarter.com: 10,000 Times Thank You! Retrieved July 25, 2016 .
- ↑ 4Players.de: Kona - VR version for PlayStation VR, Vive and Rift released. Retrieved June 20, 2018 .
- ↑ Le Soleil of August 30, 2014: Le studio Parabole se lance dans une aventure interactive. Retrieved July 22, 2016 . (French)
- ↑ Giga.de: Kona: Indie surprise at gamescom! + exclusive gameplay material! Retrieved June 24, 2016 .
- ↑ RockPaperShotgun.com: Premature Evaluation: Kona. Retrieved July 14, 2016 .
- ↑ 100 games to look forward to in 2015. In: Polygon . Retrieved July 20, 2016 .
- ↑ Kotaku.com: 30 Minutes With Kona, A Beautiful Snowbound Mystery Adventure. Retrieved July 20, 2016 .