The Girl from Arkanya - Kickstarter Spotlight
/We all have those few pieces of media that we hold especially dear to our hearts. It could be a movie, a book, a game… these things can bring us joy or flood us with emotion. They can often act as nostalgic touchstones, instantly transporting us back to specific eras of our lives. One of my own personal nostalgic touchstones is a video game I’m pretty sure you’re all familiar with, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. It’s a franchise spanning 34 years with over 20 iterations, and Link to the Past is without question one of, if not the best of them. In fact, Game Informer declared it the “Best Game of All Time” in 2018.
“But Pat,” you say, “Why are you talking about a Legend of Zelda game?”
First off, how the hell did you get in my house? Please leave.
Secondly, when we each find one of these special pieces of media, we often spend time searching for similar content. And it’s a truly great feeling when you stumble across something that appears to encapsulate the spirit of the original media you loved, while simultaneously putting an original spin on it. This is where The Girl from Arkanya by the very appropriately titled Arkanya Games comes into play:
I don’t know about you all, but I look at that and am instantly transported back to my 9 year old self sitting in the glow of the TV in my parent’s basement…. and I love it. In the development studio’s own words:
The Girl from Arkanya is a top-down treasure hunting RPG, mimicking the style and feel of 2D Zelda games. Explore the jungles of Amazonia as Marisa, alongside her capybara companion!
Wait… so, you’re telling me I can get some raw Zelda-esque nostalgia mainlined into my brain, all while going on a treasure hunting adventure with a fluffy, adorable capybara companion?! Sign me up right now! I mean, look at this little guy:
I just want to squeeze those furry cheeks. Some more notes on the gameplay::
The Girl from Arkanya is the tale of Marisa, an aspiring young adventurer with her sights set on becoming the world’s greatest treasure hunter! She is accompanied by her capybara companion, and you will need to use both characters together in creative ways to solve puzzles and challenges.
Once Marisa meets Kapi, he will follow behind Marisa for the rest of her journey, and the player may take control of him at any time! Marisa can also push, pull, carry, and throw her rodent companion, which will help her solve challenges she will face along the way.
Okay… if you’re not sold yet. Allow me to solve that right away: You. Can. Pet. The. Capybara.
Yes, that’s right. You can pet your fuzzy little fella. They actually programmed in the command and the animation. What? No, I’m not going to embed a gif. You have to click the link below to see it for yourself. So, hurry on over to the Kickstarter campaign and secure yourself a copy now!
Well, that’s all from me for now. Until next time…
Take Care, Owlbear
Pat
Featured Images: Arkanya Games
Patrick Edwards is the co-writer of the upcoming 5E Campaign, The Red Opera, as well as the writer of the Space Tripping series of novels. Check him out on Twitter @ThePatEdwards or his website thepatedwards.com
