One thing I know about ARTE from their output on mobile over the years is that they love collaborating with really interesting and unique studios to put out really interesting and unique gaming experiences. This is true yet again with the latest title from ARTE which is called Inua – A Story in Ice and Time. This is a three-way collaboration between ARTE, production company Iko, and developer The Pixel Hunt and it’s a point-and-click style adventure that’s based on the real-life event called the Franklin expedition.
In the mid-1800s Captain Sir John Franklin led two ships on an expedition to explore the Canadian Arctic. The two ships became stuck in ice, and while many crew members and even the Captain himself all perished, many more abandoned the ships and struck out into the Canadian wilderness to try to survive. While those survivors were presumed to have perished as well, no one knows for sure what ultimately happened to them, which has led to all sorts of myths and legends in Canadian culture over the years. It’s also an excellent theme for developing a video game around.
Inua takes place over 3 separate time periods following 3 separate characters who are all exploring the Canadian Arctic. While the 3 time periods are separated by more than a century of time, each of the stories of the 3 characters are related and will intertwine with each other.
The story of Inua is also inspired by and touches on many elements of the Inuit culture, an indigenous people in Northern Canada. In an effort to be authentic to and respectable of the Inuit culture, the developers hired an Inuit writer and Inuit advisors on the project, so expect a story that “explores the relationship that Inuit communities have with [the Franklin expediton]."
Another element of Inua that I find interesting is that you’ll actually bounce between the different eras and characters and, instead of just playing an overlord-type position and choosing dialogue options your job is to actually infiltrate the minds of these characters and instill ideas into them in order to progress each story forward and literally affect the outcome of history. Sounds pretty wild!
Look for Inua – A Story in Ice and Time to launch on iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, and PC on February 10th. You can currently pre-order the iOS version on the App Store for $4.99, or pre-order the Switch version for a discounted price of $13.49. Finally, you can Wishlist the PC version over on its Steam page here.
