Press Kit: Surradia
Description
In this logic-based mystery, investigate a series of museum exhibits, searching paintings, letters, and photographs for clues to solve challenging deduction puzzles.
Eighty years ago, the magical art movement known as Surradia disappeared along with its creators in the midst of World War II. Piece together a tale of art, love, and magic to answer the question: What really happened to the Surradistes?
Fans of The Case of the Golden Idol and The Return of the Obra Dinn will enjoy this bold new open-ended deduction game set in the 1930s Paris art scene.
Factsheet
Developer:
Nightwell Games
Release Date:
Summer 2024
Platform:
Steam (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Itch (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Website:
nightwellgames.com
Regular Price:
USD $9.99
Re
History
My love of the women connected with surrealism began in college. Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, and Leonor Fini fascinated me with their colorful lives, assertive attitudes, and beautiful artworks. So in 2019, when The Future Fire Magazine put out a call for fictional nonfiction stories, these women leapt readily to mind.
I sent them a pitch: "Maybe a story told in the form of an art exhibit? Like some artists disappeared and you have to figure out what happened to them?" I received a blindingly fast acceptance letter. The resultant story, "Portrait of Three Women with an Owl," went on to be featured in We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2020.
Then in 2023, some friends who enjoyed The Case of the Golden Idol began drawing paper versions of our own deduction puzzles. With its mysterious plot, "Portrait" was a natural fit for the format. This paper version went on to net third place in Indie Game Academy's Game Design Document Jam.
In December 2023, Surradia entered the digital world in The Case of the Thinky Game Jam. It was the most-played entry in the following month and received an honorable mention from two of the four judges.
Throughout, the puzzles have been constantly polished and refined based on player experiences, but the heart of the game remains the same: The story of three women who would not accept the roles they were given.
Features
Trailer
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12 rooms of artworks, letters, diaries, and found objects
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Fill-in-the-blanks puzzles with thousands of possible solutions
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An average of 45 minutes to solve each room
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All hand-drawn digital paintings and drawings
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Vivid cel-animated cutscenes before every room
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Full voice acting
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Live-recorded jazz soundtrack
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Built-in hinting and image descriptions
Images
Praise
"A unique and mysterious narrative about a magical art movement." - Joseph Mansfield, Thinky Games
“An art movement whose key figures have vanished into thin air? Move through the gallery of their lives and deduce the relationships that have lead to this very moment.” - Matthew Fuller, Thinky Games
"Surradia is incredibly well crafted. A work from a truly experienced game designer/developer." - Capythulhu, Case of the Thinky Game Jam reviewer
"Tightly designed puzzles with compelling writing and themes--I'm impressed by how clearly each character was conveyed in only a handful of pictures and notes." - Fruitsdancer, Case of the Thinky Game Jam reviewer
"Absolute joy. Puzzles are amazing and I felt very proud when found a solution. Art is charming, clean, and beautiful! Very well done!" - Greg Solo, Case of the Thinky Game Jam reviewer
About the Creator
Gwen C. Katz is an author, artist, and game designer living in Pasadena, California. She considers herself a gaming classicist, drawing from the full history of film and literature to create unique games that pack an emotional punch.
Her studio, Nightwell Games, released its first game, The Wolf of Derevnya, in 2023. Wolf is a survival-horror choose your own adventure game about a medieval Russian village menaced by a werewolf.
Her publication credits include the historical novel Among the Red Stars, which was a 2017 Junior Library Guild selection, and short stories in venues like Vastarien, Cast of Wonders, and We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2020.