The Indie Game Magazine April 2015 | Issue 48 | Page 8

GAME WATCH

LOST EMBER

W

Fanning the Flames

elcome to the latest edition of Game Watch, a recurring segment where I take a look behind the curtain of a
game early in development and track its progress from
initial concept to, hopefully, final release. Currently, we’re focused
on a project developed by Mooneye Studios known as Lost Ember.
As a general synopsis, the game is about a wolf exploring the remains of a ruined civilization. While journeying through a jungle
landscape, puzzle-solving elements open up opportunities to restore the ruins to their former glory, offering snippets of insight
into what happened to the culture that existed before everything
collapsed.

by Vinny Parisi

virtual reality. IKinema is an experienced group that has worked on
a number of AAA projects, with a client list that includes LucasArts,
Arkane Studios, Valve, Platinum Games, Square Enix and even 20th
Century Fox. Mooneye sees this partnership as a major win for Lost
Ember that will ensure the game has top notch movement animation
for the wolf, among the other playable characters.
Speaking of other playable characters, we’ve already covered how
the wolf will be able to take control of certain other animals in the
game, switching up the playstyle as players assume direct control
of the new character. These animals will offer a new perspective,
beginning in Episode 1 with a parrot that can fly. While the feature
is not yet in place, Apel mentioned this month that “we started
working on the switch mechanic to control other animals, which
will take probably about a month.” We’ll be sure to check in on the
progress of the switch mechanic in time for next month’s issue.

As mentioned last month, one of the top goals for the team heading into April was to rework the wolf model and smooth out the
animation process. Just in case you forgot – or are new to the segment – last month also introduced Marco Apel as the team’s new
social media and community manager. With Apel as my new point Another exciting development for the team is that the staff roster
of contact, we discussed the details about Mooneye’s plans, and if continues to grow. Last month, Mooneye brought two new members
they were able to achieve any of last month’s objectives.
on board, with conceptual designer Miriam Komorek joining Apel
Fortunately, it seems the team did manage to make some head- to round out the group. This month, the team is happy to welcome
way. Apel told me that “we are still putting a lot of work into the Larissa Gärtner into the mix as an additional intern who will assist
with programming.
implementation of the wolf and we are making some real progress.
Especially the fur is looking great already.” On top of that, Lost One of the other goals for Lost Ember this month was to get the
Ember managed to secure some assistance from IKinema, a studio project in a decent enough shape to be able to present it to potential
that provides animation software for motion capture, games, and partners and investors. Beyond their successful partnership with