Red pandas are in high demand at the moment, it seems, as developer Cosmic Gatto – a professional animator who has worked with DreamWorks Studio animator – has unveiled Aka, an open-world game where you seek to find “inner peace”.
You play as Aka, a retired red panda soldier who has decided to settle on a small island after the end of the war. Here he must seek out the ghosts that inhabit the land and help rest their souls by bringing them to close their lives.
The game is a mix of open world exploration, life and farm simulation and quest-based adventure, all with a strong focus on nature. Some of the venues and features, such as the giant capybara, Aka’s bearded companion and the water train, all feel reminiscent of a beautiful Studio Ghibli movie. Especially the train is right out of Spirited Away!
The trailer above shows Pine Tree Island, an island inspired by southwestern France, featuring European scenery with lush fields and lots of ivy-covered ruins. The game’s Steam page also describes a handful of other islands – Maple Tree Island, inspired by Canada; Bamboo Island, which gets an East Asian look; and Palm Tree Island, which takes us visually to South Asia and South America.
These are just a few of the things you can expect to do on these islands, with permission from publisher Neowiz:
Exploration and decoration of the islands by craft and agriculture.
– A wide range of mini-games.
– Peaceful activities such as taking a nap, looking at a cloud, swimming and much more.
– Help the island’s residents by interacting with them and helping them solve their problems.
Players will be able to control Aka and help him grow plants, flowers and vegetables in a system inspired by permaculture. Garden design and wildlife will play a role in what plants you grow, how you grow them, and how successful you are. You will also need to construct a shelter, clothes, and items for the quests that you must undertake to make friends and help ghosts. The game is also not linear, and you can choose to perform many of the game’s quests in the order you want.
But don’t worry, if it all sounds like hard work, there are plenty of chances to take a break – we did Say you could sleep on the giant capybara, right?
Aka will sprout on Switch eShop sometime this year. Do you want to download it? Tell us, or just take a moment to reflect on how adorable this game looks.