Tiny Red Camel

Factsheet

Developer:
Tiny Red Camel
Based in Copenhagen, Denmark

Release date:
May, 2018

Platforms:
single player
PC / Mac

Website:
shrugisland.com

Regular Price:
-

Description

Everything is alive, but how do you talk to it? Shrug Island is a hand-drawn musical adventure game set in the inviting world of shapeshifting beings called the Shrugs. An episodic story of a group of friends seeking to find their places in an unpredictable family, and the seasonal reawakening of a powerful dream. A puzzling exploration inspired by nordic landscapes and folk patterns across the world, an artful experience between Flower, Machinarium, and Miyazaki films, Shrug Island is a personal fusion of genres crafted by a small team of music and nature lovers.

History

The Shrug characters were imagined by Alina Constantin to embody the enthusiasm and wonder of being a child in nature and engender dialogues around themes of connection, community and change. Their world was introduced in her animated film, Shrug, which won a Junior Jury Annecy Award in 2009. Following a period of clay house building in Danish ecovillages, she returned to the Shrugs in 2011 with the first ideas for puzzles and conflicts that would form the basis of an adventure game. With support from the Danish Film Institute, lessons from game jams and an art residency at Viborg’s Open Workshop, Alina experimented with bridging aesthetic narrative and game mechanics. The Danish indie community got involved, with developers Amazu Media and Nicklas Nygren collaborating with her in developing and releasing prototypes such as the mini-game, Shrug Song.

The next steps came with a crowdfunding campaign so the production of Chapter 1 of Shrug Island could begin in earnest. Michael G. Rose and Alina connected from two sides of the successful Kickstarter over tweets on composition. They met offline over pancake batter, improvised music to a screening of a Shrug Song, recording old oaks in the forest, and a friendship ensued. With a diverse experience from classical performer to research in digital audio and game technology, Michael provided an ideal balance and in September 2014 they began working together as Tiny Red Camel. Milos Jovanovic, Serbian programmer with a degree in tropical forestry joined the unusual duo when Tiny Red Camel contracted Borg Interactive to build the game. This trio of programmer, musician and artist is the international team behind Shrug Island Chapter 1 to be released in 2017.

Play as two separated friends, Li and Shri, as they reconnect with the living home they've been away from for a season. Switch between them, discovering their abilities to explore and change the Island. Shri transforms and moves his surroundings by playing music. Li reveals a hidden layer of the world where forgotten things lie broken, and puts them back together. As a strange call resonates throughout the land, you use their different skills to awaken the Island and its people on their path towards each other.

Features

• Mysterious shape and music puzzles
• Organic soundscapes and dynamic voices
• Magical character animations in a handdrawn style
• Dreamy exploration of a responsive storyworld

Shrug Island Credits

Alina Constantin
Director, Game Design, Art, Animation

Michael G. Rose
Producer, Composer, Sound Design

Milos Jovanovic - Borg Interactive
Programmer

Contact

Contact Tiny Red Camel
info@tinyredcamel.com

Web
tinyredcamel.com