"There’s so much depth to the story Arise tells, and it succeeds in almost everything it attempts to do, making it an unmissable package for anyone looking for an touching and heartfelt experience."

When you look at a lot of other stories told in the gaming medium, even those that are well-received, it’s relatively uncommon that they embrace interactivity as a legitimate avenue for storytelling. While they use gameplay as moments for exposition, many games could work even without their interactive elements. With Arise, though, it’s hard to imagine another medium that could tell this story as well as gaming. When the cutscenes stop, the story doesn’t take a backseat. Instead, seemingly every aspect of the game adds something to the overall emotional impact the entire package presents. The environments, animations, and even the gameplay itself have clear impacts on the game’s story and tone, in a way that makes for a true escape into a world filled with symbolism and connection.

At its core, Arise is a platformer. Your primary method of interacting with the world is controlling a timeline of the environment. By pushing or pulling the right stick, you can go forward or backward in time, which changes the environment in unique ways and allows you to solve platforming puzzles. One level sees the timeline range from winter to spring, so moving the right stick can either add snow to the ground or melt the snow and raise water levels. Another has you controlling diminishing daylight to position beams of light and allow the man to stay safe from demons. Doing this allows you to traverse the environments and complete levels, each of which has a unique environmental change over time. Turning the time back to winter and increasing the snow level, for instance, might allow the man to jump down from a ledge onto the snow to save him from falling to his death, while melting it and increasing the water level may allow him to then jump on a wooden platform and move across the water to a previously unreachable island.

The magic of the gameplay is that each level uniquely represents a different period or significant event of the man’s life, and the game is very effective at allowing you to learn and improve at the gameplay without becoming repetitive or stale. Of the ten primary chapters, there were very few moments where I felt I was doing something I had already done, but I always felt as though I was becoming better at controlling the flow of time and platforming throughout the levels, especially as later levels require more precise timing. Admittedly, as these later levels progress, puzzles get a bit more difficult, and the fixed camera causes some depth and signposting problems, especially when the platforming becomes more precise and there’s less room for error. As an entire gameplay package, though, while this isn’t necessarily the first game with the idea of moving time back and forth, it’s one of the most effective at making it feel vital to the whole package, instead of just a means for more intricate puzzle-solving.

"The magic of the gameplay is that each level uniquely represents a different period or significant event of the man’s life, and the game is very effective at allowing you to learn and improve at the gameplay without becoming repetitive or stale."

The story, then, is the centerpiece that everything in this whole package adds to. While it’s not particularly complicated in terms of the actual story beats that play out in this man’s life, it does not take away from its impact. Starting from childhood, we don’t even know the name of the main character, and yet we can fully relate to and connect with him. From this moment on, you’ll have the ability to experience the highs and lows of life, from triumph to heartbreak. Even though the moments themselves aren’t particularly complicated or out of the blue, they remain full of emotion. Despite a lack of dialogue, I consistently felt emotionally connected to this man. One moment had me physically fist pump out of happiness, while another pushed me to tears. It does an incredible job of pacing to allow for some of the somewhat common occurrences to become so powerful and moving. Anything beyond these details, though, you should experience for yourself, as it’s worth it to experience it for yourself by interacting with the world.

It’s all a testament to how well the story is told, both in substance and in structure. The astoundingly beautiful score makes up for the lack of dialogue by creating a palpable tone for every moment. And while the cutscenes can tell enough of a story by themselves, the environments through which you’re interacting add so much to the story. Chapters that celebrate triumphant moments of this man’s life are bright and cheerful, using warmer colors and classic symbols for happiness. One unforgettable happy moment happens on top of a bed of sunflowers. But when the chapters take a turn and represent the sad or dejected moments, they become dark and depressing, using sparse lighting, raging fires, and demons. Each chapter is different and uniquely displays the distinct emotion felt in that point of life, even if they usually fall into either generally happy or generally sad. Some of the chapters are less impactful than others, overshadowed by more important moments or more unique elements of gameplay, but it’s admirable that almost every chapter takes a new perspective on the core gameplay and allows for a new understanding of that moment in life.

It’s beautifully designed, too. Darker chapters represent the more challenging moments in life, and, by design, are often more difficult. Brighter chapters, then, are more upbeat and are often much more forgiving, creating environments that focus more on the general beauty than on any particular struggle. The visuals complement these ideals, too. Nearly everything is beautifully animated, from the hand-drawn pictures that explain particular memories to the man himself, who, despite having no facial features apart from eyes, emotes exquisitely. It’s also incredibly detailed, showing the man’s progressing age as time passes, moving slower and even stopping to crack his back when he falls at older ages.

"Nearly everything is beautifully animated, from the hand-drawn pictures that explain particular memories to the man himself, who, despite having no facial features apart from eyes, emotes exquisitely."

Everything comes together to create the feeling of a real person who’s gone through an actual lifetime of memories. Framing the story as an old man looking back and reliving his memories allows it to be more reminiscent than experiential, but watching him experience his memories again is almost as powerful as your ability to experience it for the first time. In the 6 or so hours it took me to complete the game, this was the reason I could not put it down. It’s touching, beautiful, emotional, heartbreaking, and, most of all, real. Despite it being a simple story of one man, there are moments in here that almost any person can relate to. So yes, simple is a misleading term, but I applaud Piccolo Studio for using it, because even though they were right in the spirit of the name, they managed to fit a phenomenal experience inside it.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Wattam

Of course it would be Katamari Damacy director Keita Takahashi making Wattam. How else could you explain the premise of walking around the world, befriending rocks, open mouths, trees and toilets to join hands and create melodies? It’s all quite whimsical in motion and gives Wattam a dream-like yet still unorthodox feel. Look for the game to release on December 17^th for PS4 and PC.

Phoenix Point

Phoenix Point is an important title for many tactical turn-based fans. For some, it could be their next big game after XCOM with its factions, evolving enemies and lasting psychological system for its soldiers. For others, it’s a true spiritual successor to the original X-COM games from creator Julian Gollop, offering the next step forward in the tactical strategy war against aliens. With terrifying foes, intriguing mechanics and a tense setting, Phoenix Point releases on December 3^rd for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Halo: Reach (PC/Xbox One)

Finally, we get to remember Reach as it should be – in gorgeous 4K resolution and 60 FPS. 343 Industries’ Halo: Reach comes to PC on December 3^rd with its memorable campaign and hefty multiplayer modes like Firefight and Invasion (with Forge and Theater coming in 2020). For Xbox One players, Reach will round out Halo: The Master Chief Collection but for PC players, it kick-starts the collection’s release on PC. Whether you’re a fan of the series or not, Halo: Reach’s arrival next week is a momentous occasion.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries

It’s seemingly the month of nostalgia and MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a long time coming. As the first mainline title in the franchise since MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries in 2002, MechWarrior 5 offers combat in large hulking mechs with highly customizable parts. Taking part during the Third Succession War, various factions will be vying for supremacy, allowing you to take contracts and cement your legacy. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is out on December 10^th for PC.

Terminator Resistance

Teyon’s new Terminator shooter is an…odd title. It’s set in the year 2028 with the world decimated by Skynet’s robot incursions. You’ll battle through hordes of machines, killing and leveling up while also potentially altering the fates of those around you. What’s odd about the whole ordeal is that despite seeing significant criticism, the game has a rather positive rating on outlets like Steam. We’ll see how the console versions fare when they release on December 10^th for North America.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York

Before venturing into the RPG-heavy Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, why not visit the Coteries of New York instead? Developed by Draw Distance, Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is a text-based adventure centered around two factions – the Camarilla and Anarchs. Depending on one’s clan and choices, there will be unique dialogue opportunities and powers, ultimately influencing the game’s outcome. The title is out for PC on December 11^th but also releases on Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch in Q1 2020.

Darksiders Genesis

And now for something completely different from the Darksiders franchise. Developed by Airship Syndicate, Darksiders Genesis is an isometric action hack and slash title that takes place before the first game. Horsemen Strife and War are on a quest to stop Lucifer from empowering the forces of Hell and that means lots of slicing and shooting. Co-op is included but solo players can switch between either Horseman at any time while taking advantage of various upgrades. Releasing on December 5^th worldwide for PC and Google Stadia, Darksiders Genesis looks to offer a fun 15 hours or so of adventure.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey (Xbox One/PS4)

Panache Digital Games’ Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey didn’t get the most rousing reception when it first released on PC. However, there have been updates and improvements overtime, making this tale of evolution and survival more tenable. As part of a primate clan in the prehistoric age, you’ll be climbing trees, exploring the world, hunting, and even avoiding predators. All of this feeds into your experience and evolution as you journey across eight million years of history. Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey arrives on December 6^th for Xbox One and PS4.

Life is Strange 2: Episode 5

Dontnod Entertainment’s fifth and final episode for Life is Strange 2 is out next month, bringing the adventure of the brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz to an end. This is always a pivotal moment for fans of the series, since it allows for experiencing the entire adventure from start to finish without any delays. It’s been a wild journey since the two initially fled Seattle en route to their father’s hometown in Mexico. How could things get any stranger? Episode 5 is out on December 3^rd for Xbox One, PS4 and PC so it won’t be long before we find out.

Arise: A Simple Story

Arise: A Simple Story is another dream-like adventure game but one that explores the memories of two individuals across shifting landscapes and seasons. As a puzzle adventure title, players will have the ability to manipulate time, altering the environment as they see fit. While there’s still a lot we don’t know, Arise’s art-style looks great and the story has strong emotional potential. It’s out on December 3^rd for PS4 and PC.

Piccolo Studio’s beautiful narrative adventure title, Arise: A Simple Story, is out today, and the developers have released a launch trailer to commemorate the occasion.

Along with setting up the game’s central premise, it also does a great job of conveying the tone the experience is going for, while showing interesting snippets of gameplay, and a variety of locations from the game. As always, the game’s art design continues to stand out. Take a look below.

In our review of Arise: A Simple Story, we called it “a fully immersive and unmissable experience” and praised it for its “diverse gameplay, beautiful environments, and touching story.” You can watch the full review through here.

Arise: A Simple Story is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but the developers are also open to bringing the game to the Switch. You can get more details on the game in our interview with director Alexis Corominas through here.

"We were inspired by some concepts in Journey, mostly art direction and overall pace, but as a game we are very different in many aspects."

Arise gives off some pretty significant Journey vibes- was that game something you consciously looked at for inspiration? Are there any games that served as influences for Arise?

The launch of Journey opened a door to a type of game (and a type of studio) that was not noticed by a large audience before.

We were inspired by some concepts in Journey, mostly art direction and overall pace, but as a game we are very different in many aspects. In terms of experience we are closer to games like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, that employed two sticks for the gameplay, and Inside that uses the environments to communicate emotions. They are all games with strong personalities that have that “X factor” that makes them unique, and we think Arise has that in common with them.

In terms of music and art direction, we were also inspired by Studio Ghibli films. Actually the name of our studio, Piccolo, as well as denoting the size of our small studio, comes from a character in the film Porco Rosso.

How will the time-bending mechanics work from a gameplay point of view? Are they tied to puzzles or traversal?

The whole game is tied to the time mechanics, which makes sense when you’re telling the story of an old man that is recalling the highlights of his life.

explore the world with the left stick, and explore time with the right stick. Every chapter places you in a different time lapse and environment, and you can freely move the time back and forth. The challenges are a mix of exploring time, space, and platforming.

What happens in every chapter, and the kind of changes that time produces in the environment, are so diverse and creative that you are constantly surprised and using the controls in a different way.

What do you play at and how do you play evolves with the story – in Arise everything is tied together.

It seems like Arise is going to put a lot of emphasis on environmental storytelling, as the players’ environments shift alongside the nature of the story. Is that primarily how you’re looking to weave the game’s narrative, or are you also going for much more direct ways to tell your story?

Yes, environmental storytelling is very important in Arise, it plays a big role in putting you in the right mood at every step of the story. But there’s a clear, understandable story that is told through other elements that you find along the road.

Arise tells a universal tale, one that depicts the roller coaster that is life. The hero is an ordinary man, he could be any of us, and the story is not a complex plot, there are no dialogues, no words at all. This is why the subtitle is “A Simple Story”, because everyone will understand what we are talking about. Ultimately, it’s all about basic emotions that all human beings can relate to: joy, sadness, melancholy, excitement, love, hope…

How important is Arise’s music going to be in terms of contributing to the storytelling? David Garcia’s scores in previous games have certainly played a huge role- can we expect something similar in Arise?

Sure, music in Arise plays the same role as the environment, it underlines the different emotions of the story. David García has done something very special with the music, because we have a beautiful main theme that is constantly adapting to the different moods of the journey, from a tender lullaby to a mysterious and dark tune.

We are giving the full OST of the game as a bonus for pre-orders, which is an awesome gift. If you hear the complete OST once you have played the game, it’s as if you were still there, playing it: gameplay, story, and music are totally intertwined.

"Arise is a story about life, love, loss… it’s the story of a lifetime, so it makes sense that you can play it with the ones you love."

Can you tell us how co-op works in the game?

Arise is a story about life, love, loss… it’s the story of a lifetime, so it makes sense that you can play it with the ones you love.

The local cooperative mode, that we call “Together mode”, is the same game as the single player mode, but one player controls the old man, and the other player controls time. It’s very simple, and you can switch from single player to Together mode on the fly.

It’s a mode that forces players to communicate because the actions of both participants are equally important, so they really have the feeling of overcoming challenges together.

My wife plays now and then but she’s not a hardcore gamer. She loves watching me play story driven games, but I would love it even more if we could play together. There aren’t many local coop games out there to play with your loved one, be it your mate, daughter or grandpa. In Arise, the second player has a more relaxed, laid back experience, suited for the kind of players you would love to play with and never found the right game to do so.

Also, being a game about life and emotions, it’s a lot more powerful if you play with someone you love at your side. I’m eager to see reactions of couples that have played the game together.

Roughly how long will an average playthrough of Arise be?

For most players, the journey should take between 5-6 hours for the main story. There are also collectibles to be found and hunting them all down might take some more time.

The interesting things about the collectibles is that they expand on the main story. I’m not going to reveal what it is that you find, but we believe it is  good value for your effort.

That being said, when you build an emotional journey, you can’t rate it in terms of quantity, but it is all about quality, so we preferred to stick to what is crucial and memorable, so we actually cut some content that didn’t work well with the overall flow.

Do you have any plans to launch on Switch?

Of course, we would love to!

The Nintendo Switch looks like a great fit for our game. But in terms of hardware, and compared to the PS4 and Xbox One, it’s less powerful and therefore some sacrifices will have to be made.

Arise may not be as demanding as other games in terms of textures and geometry, but we have intensive post-processing effects and real-time lighting. Also, shifting back and forth through time impacts the world in different ways, and sometimes it takes a lot of CPU processing. This is because you have the full environment changing, we’re talking about hundreds of things moving at the same time.

Some great games have had average ports to the Switch, and that’s something we wouldn’t want to happen to Arise. We are estimating how to port it in the best possible way.

Will the game will feature Xbox One X specific enhancements? Is 4K/60fps on the cards?

On Xbox One X the game runs at full HD at 60 FPS.

And how will the PS4 Pro version turn out in terms of resolution and frame rate?

The PS4 Pro also runs at full HD at 60 FPS.

How is the game running on the original Xbox One and PS4, frame rate and resolution wise?

Both PS4 and Xbox One run at full HD at 30 FPS.

The PS5 is confirmed to have an SSD. From a development perspective, how will this help you to improve game performance in the future?

Being a studio keen on story driven games, it’s essential that you can pace how everything flows. Shortening loading times is a great way to control your narrative. And even more, it gives you more freedom to explore different ways to tell a story, because you can have access to a lot more content to be used on the fly. The more content you can access, the more tools you have at your disposal.

"Being a studio keen on story driven games, it’s essential that you can pace how everything flows. Shortening loading times is a great way to control your narrative."

The PS5 will have a Zen 2 CPU processor which is a major leap over the CPUs found in the PS4 and Xbox One. From a development perspective, how will this help you in developing games of the future?

It would have been great to have it for Arise! We had some cool ideas that couldn’t be implemented with the current console generation, because they were too CPU intensive. More CPU performance equals to more creative freedom.

As a studio we think on the ideas first, and sometimes hardware limitations shrink those ideas. The less we have to shrink them, the better.

Xbox Scarlett features GDDR6 memory. How will this increase in memory bandwidth help you in the future?

Again, we value technology as a ladder that helps us reach our goals. The bigger the ladder, the higher the goals we can achieve. We are eager to start working with new  development kits.

Backwards compatibility is a big feature PS5. How will it help your past library to evolve and grow?

It’s great news for small and medium sized studios, because you can instantly offer your content to a broader audience. And from a player perspective it is also great, of course, most of my games are digital purchases, and I would love to have them available on a new console from day one.

The PS5 was recently confirmed to have Haptic enabled controllers. How do you think that will help games to evolve?

This is the thing I’m personally more excited about, more than raw processing numbers. More memory or more CPU at the end is a quantitative improvement, while the Haptic enabled controllers sound like the kind of qualitative step forward that can offer new ways of interaction with the player, it opens a lot of doors on how to tell things.

I want to try it and experiment with it ASAP!

Sony’s revealed lots of interesting new info on the PS5 lately, with the most notable and most recent new detail on the next gen console being that its controller will be replacing the industry standard rumble with something much more advanced- haptic feedback. In theory, it’s something that can have a tangible effect on the way players interact with games, and if done right, it can lead to much better immersion, among other things.

One developer who’s quite excited about this feature in particular is Alexis Corominas, game director at Piccolo Studio, developers of the upcoming narrative adventure title Arise: A Simple Story. Speaking in an interview with GamingBolt, Corominas said that haptic feedback in PS5’s controller is something he’s personally much more excited about that raw processing power or more memory, because unlike those things, haptic-enabled controllers can, in his own words, “offer new ways of interaction with the player.”

“This is the thing I’m personally more excited about, more than raw processing numbers,” Corominas told GamingBolt. “More memory or more CPU at the end is a quantitative improvement, while the Haptic enabled controllers sound like the kind of qualitative step forward that can offer new ways of interaction with the player, it opens a lot of doors on how to tell things.”

Corominas also spoke to us about other aspects of the PS5 and what it will offer, such as its backward compatibility, which Sony recently mentioned was still in development. As per Corominas, backward compatibility is not only great for small and mid-sized studios – seeing as their catalog of titles instantly becomes available to broader audiences – but also to players as well, especially those who make most of their purchases digitally.

“It’s great news for small and medium sized studios, because you can instantly offer your content to a broader audience,” he said. “And from a player perspective it is also great, of course, most of my games are digital purchases, and I would love to have them available on a new console from day one.”

The PS5 is confirmed to be launching during Holiday 2020, so we’ll see how well it implements these features, and how much of an impact they have. Meanwhile, Piccolo Studio’s Arise: A Simple Story is out for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on December 3rd. In this very interview, Corominas also spoke to us about the possibility of a Switch port for the game- read more on that through here. Our full interview with Corominas will be live soon, so stay tuned.

Last month, indie developer Piccolo Studio unveiled Arise: A Simple Story, a game that looks as beautiful as it does thoughtful and introspective. Though it was announced for the PS4, it was confirmed shortly afterward that it would also be coming to Xbox One and PC. Given how good it looks though, it goes without saying that everyone will want to get a taste- so is there a chance that the game ends up on the Nintendo Switch as well? There certainly is.

We recently conducted an interview with Piccolo Studio’s general manager and Arise’s game director Alexis Corominas, and when asked about the possibility of a Switch port, Corominas said that the developers would love to see one, before saying that the Switch “looks like a great fit” for the game.

“Of course, we would love to!” Corominas told GamingBolt. “The Nintendo Switch looks like a great fit for our game. But in terms of hardware, and compared to the PS4 and Xbox One, it’s less powerful and therefore some sacrifices will have to be made.”

Corominas went on to say that though Arise isn’t as demanding a game as many others out there, it still makes use of some hefty tech at times, which means that a Switch port will need to be properly optimized.

“Arise may not be as demanding as other games in terms of textures and geometry, but we have intensive post-processing effects and real-time lighting,” he said. “Also, shifting back and forth through time impacts the world in different ways, and sometimes it takes a lot of CPU processing. This is because you have the full environment changing, we’re talking about hundreds of things moving at the same time.”

Piccolo Studio remains aware of the fact that some great games have received not-so-great ports in the past, and wants to make sure it does justice to Arise on the system. That said, a “best possible” Switch launch for the game is something they’re “estimating”.

“Some great games have had average ports to the Switch, and that’s something we wouldn’t want to happen to Arise,” said Corominas. “We are estimating how to port it in the best possible way.”

Arise: A Simple Story launches for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC (via Epic Games Store) on December 3rd.

Arise: A Simple Story looks to be a fun and interesting midrange title. The game got a special spotlight at this month’s State of Play, getting to share the (digital) stage with the likes of The Last of Us Part 2. At the time only a PS4 version of the title was announced, but now it seems everyone will manage to get in on this emotional journey.

Publisher Techland confirmed that the game will release on the same day for the Xbox One and PC. The PC version will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store. It’s the first game from new studio, Piccolo, and features a man’s life in reverse as you start at death and gradually go back to both the highs, and the lows, of his storied life. You can check out the announcement trailer through here.

Arise: A Simple Story will release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on December 3rd.

Today’s State of Play was, understandably, mostly about the big releases coming relatively soon. The Last of Us Part 2 got a date, for instance, that sucked a lot of air out the room. However, you got to take a little time out for what looks to be a potential gem of a game in the form of Arise: A Simple Story, the game from Techland publishing and the debuting Piccolo Studios.

The game was announced with a trailer, which you can see below. It has a cel-shaded look, and a story that begins where most stories end: with the death of the main character. He must navigate the surreal afterlife with whimsical action and platforming as he self-reflects on the life he lead, both the good and bad times. It definitely looks like quite the fun, if not maybe a little heady, way to end the year.

Arise: A Simple Story will release December 3rd for the PlayStation 4.

https://youtu.be/710dif4cwFM