Student Startup developer Kaleidoscube has teamed with publisher Mixtvision Games to release its first title, A Juggler’s Tale. A 3D side-scrolling adventure, A Juggler’s Tale will come to the PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Xbox platforms sometime in 2021.
Check out the side-scrolling title’s announcement trailer below:
In referencing the Sony and Microsoft consoles, the official press release from Mixtvision Games merely made note of “PlayStation” and “Xbox.” Gematsu reached out for clarification, then subsequently received the following response from a Mixtvision representative: “We’d definitely love to see the game on the next-gen consoles, but at the moment can’t 100 percent guarantee it, which is why we kept the platforms a bit more vague for now.” This suggests that while PS5 and Xbox Series X are not confirmed, the possibility of such releases for A Juggler’s Tale remains on the table. (Editor’s Note: Backwards compatibility may all but guarantee a next-gen release, but we still need additional details from Sony on how that will work.)
Kaleidoscube’s debut project will allow players to assume the role of a string puppet, Abby. A talented artist, Abby longs to escape the circus life where she’s held captive. Upon fleeing, however, Abby discovers that whatever may ultimately transpire is beyond her control. A Juggler’s Tale will explore what happens when she tries to take fate into her hands once and for all.
The side-scroller takes place in a marionette theater, where all “the acting characters” are controlled by Jack, puppet master and narrator. Unsurprisingly, strings connect each character to Jack, limiting their movement in many respects. While the strings prevent them from traversing under structures, they also work as a safety net. No one wants to stumble into an abyss, after all. The core of the narrative rests in the puppets’ relationship to their puppet master.
Players will explore the world through puzzles and other string puppet-inspired gameplay mechanics. Still, Kaleidoscube’s key goal seems to be in developing a hope-filled narrative in a “grim fairy tale world.”
[Source: Gematsu]
