ABOUT THE FUNDING:

We’re thrilled beyond belief (well, it’s probaby believable how happy we are, actually) that our new project Echo Peak was successful in the New Zealand Film Commission’s Whakawhanake Te Ao Niko funding round for 2021/22!

Just as a recap: The NZFC’s Whakawhanake Te Ao Niko Fund exists to support the development of original, narrative-focused, interactive works in Aotearoa. Projects awarded this fund are assisted in the process of putting together story/design assets, interactive elements and proof-of-concept prototypes. We’ve previously received support for ShelfLife, which was instrumental in getting to the stage we’re at with the project now (pre-alpha demo / advanced development stage).

While we’re still absolutely working on and prioritising ShelfLife, we (the Fnife Games team) want to have other projects cooking along too! Though we’re a pretty small team of part-time Devs, we want to grow and become more sustainable and self-sufficient. Building up our portfolio is super important for this, and we reckon that Echo Peak is going to be a great fit for our body of work!

ECHO PEAK:

Echo Peak is a queer first-person mystery game, with a strong narrative focus. The player is thrust into the role of K. Walker, a cryptid creature working as a Mountain Radio Monitor in the Southern Alps. Across four playable days, the player will uncover mysteries around K. Walker’s identity, investigate anomalies on the mountainside, and venture forth to rescue a new friend in danger!

A strange creature monitoring radio calls in the Southern Alps ignites a socially-distanced friendship with a solo-tramper. When the tramper gets into trouble on the mountain, the creature must overcome their fear of the outside world to rescue this kindred spirit.

The game will feature 3D graphics and environments with a limited (but detailed) scope. We want to convey a rustic, lo-fi, somewhat retro aesthetic, taking a note from the PS1 Horror Revival genre: new works like “Sauna 2000”, and inspo from game series such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

The project take place in an environment evocative of a hut in the Southern Alps, and will convey this with panoramic vistas of New Zealand mountain terrain, scrub, and wildlife – including cute (pesky) Kea and other native birds. The interior of the hut will feature elements familiar to those who have tramped across Aotearoa, including bunk beds, burner stoves, gumboot tea, long-drop toilets, non-name brand yeast spread (?) and Swanndri-adjacent clothing.

Echo Peak will be a fairly short, slightly spooky lo-fi narrative experience, and we’re super excited to be working on it alongside ShelfLife (with some new collaborators, and some of the usual suspects).


Ngā mihi,
Fnife Games