10 Upcoming Polish Video Games to Look Out For
As most of us know, Cyberpunk 2077, scheduled to be released on 10th December, is arguably the biggest upcoming Polish video game premiere. Here we take a look at other Polish video games on their way worth looking out for, including a sci-fi thriller based on Stanisław Lem, a new Witcher instalment and… a mushroom picking simulator.
The Witcher: Monster Slayer
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Image from the game ‘The Witcher: Monster Slayer’, photo: Spokko
Apart from working on Cyberpunk 2077 the Polish studio CD Projekt, through its subsidiary studio Spokko, has been developing a new game set in Geralt’s universe. The Witcher: Monster Slayer is an augmented-reality game for mobile devices that may provoke associations with the smash hit Pokémon Go. But whereas in the latter game you try to catch pokémon, in Monster Slayer you fight deadly monsters as a witcher:
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Set long before the time of Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher: Monster Slayer is an augmented-reality exploration game that challenges you to become an elite monster hunter. See the world around you transformed into the dark fantasy realm of The Witcher, and explore once-familiar locations now infested with dangerous beasts as you start on the path as a professional monster slayer.
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From thewitchermonsterslayer.com
Monster Slayer uses geolocation to apply elements of The Witcher universe to your actual surroundings. So when you’re on a walk, for instance, in the forest, suddenly your phone can sense that there’s a monster somewhere in the greenery. The monster then appears on your screen (on the background of the real-life forest captured by your phone’s camera) and you have to fight it from a first-person perspective. The game will also let you interact with friendly characters (such as vendors) and participate in story-driven quests. The exact release date of Monster Slayer is unknown – its developers say the game is coming soon. This very promising title will probably be ready sometime next year.
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Image from the game ‘The Invincible’, photo: Starward Industries
Whereas The Witcher video games are based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s celebrated fantasy stories, the next item on our list is a game based on Niezwyciężony (The Invincible), a 1964 novel by the renowned sci-fi author Stanisław Lem. In Lem’s book, a spaceship lands on a distant planet, coming to the rescue of another spaceship whose crew had discontinued all communications. The rescue team discovers that the planet is home to a species of insect-like robots that can be pretty deadly…
The video game The Invincible by Starward Industries will take us to the fictitious planet from Lem’s same-titled novel. Described as ‘a first-person sci-fi thriller’, you’ll play as an astronaut looking to find the missing crew of your spaceship. The game will be set in a retro-futuristic setting, meaning that all the advanced space technology in The Invincible will be pre-digital, or in other words, analogue! Thanks to this, the game is bound to contain some absolutely fantastic designs. Here’s what Starward Industries’ CEO Marek Markuszewski told GamesRadar+ in this regard:
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[…] We actually researched the original designs of spacesuits and clothing used during the Cold War, as well as spaceships, vehicles, various tools and devices manufactured in the Soviet Union. All this has come together in The Invincible, creating a fresh and unique retro-futuristic visual style.
Curiously, The Invincible, appears to be the first video game adaptation of a Stanisław Lem story. Given that Lem is one of the most influential sci-fi writers of all time it’s fair to say that it’s about time his work was adapted as a computer game! The Invincible is supposed to be released next year, so why not whet your appetite by reading the novel’s English translation by Bill Johnston which came out in February 2020 on MIT Press.
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Image from the game ‘Gamedec’, photo: Anshar Studios
Another upcoming Polish sci-fi game based on the work of a Polish writer is Gamedec, a title that’s being developed by Anshar Studios. This game is set in a futuristic cyberpunk world created by Marcin Przybyłek in his same-titled, five-part series of books that came out 2004-2015.
In Marcin Przybyłek’s Gamedec, which kicks off toward the end of the 22nd century, people spend a lot of time inside games that are virtual worlds. Much like the Matrix from the famous movie starring Keanu Reeves, these games give their users the impression of full participation. But these artificial worlds are not free of crime. That’s where gamedecs, or game detectives, step in – they try to solve crimes committed in virtual realities.
Anshar Studios’ Gamedec, which is being made in collaboration with Przybyłek, will let you play as a game detective living in a cyberpunk Warsaw City. Apart from being able to explore the city you’ll also have access to a number of virtual worlds, for instance, ones modelled on the Wild West or prehistoric times.
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Gamedec is a single-player non-combat cyberpunk isometric RPG. You are a game detective, who solves crimes inside virtual worlds. Use your wits to gather info from your witnesses and suspects, get to the bottom of deceptive schemes, save lives, and investigate the extraordinary relationships between virtual worlds and their inhabitants.
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From ansharstudios.com
This intriguing video game is set to premiere in 2021.
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Image from the game ‘Coffee Noir’, photo: Doji
In the next game on our list, Coffe Noir, you also play as a detective, but the circumstances are rather different from those in Gamedec.
As a private eye in a retro-futuristic 2021 London, which has a 1940s noir look, in Coffee Noir you try to solve the disappearance of Richard Kersey, a businessman active in the local coffee market. In order to do that you set up your own coffee trade company to infiltrate the world of London’s coffee industry, which holds the key to finding out what happened to Kersey.
The idea for the game is highly unique as it merges elements of a business simulator and a crime story. In Coffee Noir you not only have to gather clues about Kersey’s disappearance through conversations with various characters but you also need to successfully run your business to keep your cover – you have to manage production, sales and employees. The game’s developers, a Polish studio called Doji, say they consulted with professional and academic economists to make the business side of their game as convincing as possible.
Another thing that’s highly interesting about Coffee Noir, apart from its original concept, is the game’s charming comic book-like graphics:
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Coffee Noir is inspired by classic American comic books and filled to the brim with [a] film noir mood and retro-futuristic ambiance. Feel the atmosphere of retro-style interiors, smooth jazz, dense cigarette smoke, and [the] smell of good coffee while wearing [a] classy detective outfit […]
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From the game’s description at Steam
Coffee Noir is set to be available toward the end of this year.
Following on from the first two cult games, developer Flying Wild Hog is making their Shadow Warrior series into a trilogy. Promised to be equally as light-hearted and violent as its predecessors, it's already been dubbed 'Doom with ninjas' by Gamespot. Instead of the War-Saw chainsaw from the last game (an homage to the studio's home town), players will get to go free-running with a rather sharp katana.
Shadow Warrior 3 is due to be released at some point during 2021.
From the makers of the BAFTA-winning The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, comes a game that has been in development pretty much ever since. Witchfire, as the title might imply, is set in a world full of dangerous witches, and you play a witch hunter with an arsenal of guns. The developers The Astronauts have been posting blogs regularly on their website about the progress of the game and keeping expectations high.
Witchfire is expected to be released in 2021, although there have been no hard commitments from the team.
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Image from the game ‘The Medium’, photo: Bloober Team
In The Medium, a dark horror set in 1990s Poland, you play as Marianne, a woman with paranormal abilities who is haunted by visions of a young girl being shot to death. Marianne (the titular medium) is compelled to solve this murder and in order to do that she travels to a creepy, abandoned resort near Kraków, which proves to be infested by dark powers.
Thanks to her paranormal skills Marianne can see and influence the spiritual world; she uses this ability to overcome obstacles and ward off evil ghosts. Interestingly, in The Medium you’ll be able to explore the real world and the spiritual one simultaneously thanks to a split-screen solution.
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Discover a dark mystery only a medium can solve. Explore the real world and the spirit world at the same time. Use your psychic abilities to solve puzzles spanning both worlds, uncover deeply disturbing secrets, and survive encounters with The Maw – a monster born from an unspeakable tragedy. The Medium is a third-person psychological horror game that features patented dual-reality gameplay.
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From themediumgame.com
The developers of The Medium, Bloober Team, say that the game’s visual side was inspired by the paintings of Zdzisław Beksiński, an eminent Polish artist known for his fascinations with death, decay and darkness. This will surely add to the spookiness of Bloober Team’s production.
The Medium, a proposition for mature audiences, is set to premiere on 10th December 2020.
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Image from the game ‘Mushrooms: Forest Walker’, photo: SimFabric
The next game on our list is centred around a much more down-to-earth activity.
In Mushrooms: Forest Walker you get to roam through the wilderness in search of various mushrooms. You can set out to gather them in five different forests located in North America, Asia, South America, Europe and Australia. But if you’re expecting easy pickings, you might be in for a surprise. The forests in this first-person perspective mushroom picking simulator aren’t all that welcoming, it’ll take some skills to survive in them.
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Forests are a danger area, so you should watch out and use all your skills and knowledge for survival in hard difficult conditions. Crafting, cooking, survival skills will be very valuable.
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From the game’s description at Steam
You play as one of four characters, each of which has unique abilities. Cowgirl is very fast and easily spots the biggest mushrooms. Redneck knows how to track animals and comes equipped with a spear. Military can use firearms and camouflage himself. The elderly lady Baba, on the other hand, knows how to prepare potions and set up traps.
The game contains over a hundred different varieties of mushrooms, including edible, poisonous, medicinal and even hallucinogenic ones. You can consume all of them and see how they affect you. Apart from picking mushrooms, in the game you’ll also encounter various characters and have to solve puzzles. Both single-player and multi-player modes will be available.
The exact release date of Mushrooms: Forest Walker is unknown. The game’s creators, a Polish studio called SimFabric, say it’ll be available soon.
The sequel to the vastly popular 2015 zombie game takes the post-apocalyptic survival concept to new heights with a new system that has people excited. Depending on the long-term decisions you make in the game, for example who to help, you will find all sorts of things changing, including entire city environments.
Delays have been afoot, but Dying Light 2 is expected to be available to impatient fans in 2021.
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Image from the game ‘Papetura’ by Tomasz Ostafin, photo: press materials
Last but not least we have the beautiful point-and-click adventure game Papetura. What’s truly unique about this title is that it’s being developed primarily with the use of… paper. The game’s sole creator, Tomasz Ostafin, an architect by education, uses this material to meticulously craft sceneries and characters. When ready, they are photographed in carefully adjusted lighting (light can immensely impact the look of Ostafin’s semi-translucent paper models). The pictures are later digitally transferred to a game engine where they’re animated. As a result a very unique, pleasantly surreal aesthetic comes into existence.
The main character in Papetura is a paper critter called Pape. As you progress through the story-driven adventure, you have to solve logical puzzles and interact with elements of your surroundings:
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Paper creature Pape is trapped in a Flower Prison, but with a little bit of luck he manages to escape. Along the way he encounters a Shadow Monster and a Flaming Bird that will start to burn the paper world. Amidst all that chaos, he finds little Tura, and brings him along his journey. Together they will face dangers and try to save the paper world from burning to ashes!
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From ‘A Coffee Break with: Tomasz Ostafin, Papetura’, at medium.com
Tomasz Ostafin has been working on his game for quite a while – more or less seven years. But it appears that the game is now almost ready. It’s scheduled to appear before the end of this year.
It looks like we’ve come to the end of our list of upcoming Polish video games to look out for. Especially in our current, uneasy times it seems nice to have something to look forward to…
Written by Marek Kępa, Oct 20, edited by DD & AZ
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