Sometimes I don’t totally understand what I’m looking at, but I know that I like what I see. That’s how I feel about Mirages of Winter, a new “poetic adventure" game from developer Mirari Games. Unsurprisingly, the developers themselves are much better than I could ever dream of being at explaining what Mirages of Winter is all about, so I’m just going to quote from them liberally with the gorgeous trailer sandwiched in-between.
The game is a poem about the passing of winter to spring. The story follows a fisherman living in an island during winter; living a simple life together with nature. By following the fisherman’s footsteps, the player will uncover the hidden beauty of winter and will open new paths towards spring.
Mirages of Winter is to be enjoyed like a poem, where the life of each character and object is to be discovered. As the game’s world unfolds, one realizes that everything is connected together, and that even the smallest thing exists for a reason.
After exploring beautiful sceneries, mesmerizing puzzle must be solved. Everything in the game has a deep connection with the five elements : water, wood, fire, earth and metal. With the element mechanic, the player will bring out the elemental essence of objects and use them to solve puzzles.
“The player starts at the beginning of winter. Every task the player completes will make the winter season progress and bring them closer to spring. By lighting the lighthouse, the sun will rise; by drinking tea, the grass will grow; by fishing, the lake will thaw.
I absolutely adore the ink wash or sumi-e style of the visuals, and that trailer together with the music makes me feel like I’m exploring a dream. It’s crazy. While Mirages of Winter is all set for release on March 20th, Mirari Games does want to get some additional beta tester feedback to smooth out any final rough edges. If you’re interested in beta testing the game ahead of its launch, you can find all the information you need about doing that in the thread in our forums. You’ll also find even more gorgeous screen shots of the game and the developers talking about their inspirations and aspirations behind it. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on the finished product when Mirages of Winter launches in March.
