Shape of the World will be released sometime in 2018, according to a blog post on the PlayStation official blog.
The game originally started development as a Kickstarter project created in June of 2015, according to the official Kickstarter page. It managed to raise over CA $79,000 from over 1,000 backers. Originally, the release date was set for July of 2016, but it was delayed until now.
Shape of the World immerses the player in (quite literally) a world that changes shape as you continue your journey through it. You can find little creatures roaming about as trees, plants, rocks, etc. spring up around you. Also, the environment around you will be affected depending on the choices you make, literally leaving a “mark on the world.” To see more of this action, I recommend you watch the teaser trailer so that you can see how the world shapes around you.
“To quickly introduce my work, I would say that Shape of the World is about being on a visually and musically stunning journey as an outsider in a surreal world that reacts to your presence. You won’t only be lost because you’re not certain of your location… you will be lost because this world does not feel or behave as you expect it to. You won’t just be walking on this journey, you will drift, swim, and even fly with the whales if you’re lucky,” said Stu Maxwell, the creator of Shape of the World and Hollow Tree Games in the blog post.
Maxwell compares this game to being a young child using their imagination to create a world of their own, and go on their own journey to find whatever they wanted to find.
“For me, exploring new surroundings is the rush of a new adventure. That’s probably why I’ve always been attracted to the exploration mechanics of some games and, no doubt, why I’ve always wanted to make my own game with exploration at the heart of the experience,” he said in the blog post.
Maxwell’s goal for the game is to pull people out of their normal day-to-day environment and immerse them in a completely new world and to temporarily take away the worries you may have in the real world.
“When I started work on this game, my professional and family life were becoming quite busy, so I wanted to make a place where anyone could have fun, relax and enjoy their time,” said Maxwell in the blog post. “For that reason, nothing is urging you forward in Shape of The World, no score is involved, no bloodthirsty beast is hunting you, no clock ticking to make you rush… The world is designed to let you experience it the way you want.”
It’s also interesting to point out that, as Maxwell said, the goal of the game isn’t to particularly “win.” It’s to take steps at your own pace to explore a world you have probably never seen or experienced before.
If you’re interested in blood-rushing action and adventure, this game may not be for you. For those of you who want to take a relaxing journey into the unknown (without having to worry about enemies being around every corner), then I recommend you check this game out. Seeing the world literally being created around you is an interesting concept, and I hope to get my hands on the game when it is released next year.
Shape of the World will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. For more information on the game, you can find Shape of the World‘s official website here.
Featured image via Shape of the World’s official website.
