January 2021 Video Game Releases: Art, Ecology, and Experimental Design
A roundup of five video game releases from January 2021, each offering unique artistic and narrative experiences. 'A Painter’s Tale: Curon, 1950' by Monkeys Tales Studio, IVIPRO, Sofia Abatangelo, and Marta Ascari recounts the 1950 destruction of Curon in Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy, for a hydroelectric dam, using a Minecraft-inspired visual style to critique human exploitation of nature. 'Cab Ride' by Ben Jones (Powersaurus) is a procedural train simulator for the fictional Pico-8 console, emphasizing ambient exploration over goals. 'NUTS' by Jonatan Van Hove, Pol Clarissou, Muuutsch, Charlene Putney, Torfi Ásgeirsson, and Noodlecake tasks players with studying squirrel behavior to prevent a construction project, though its repetitive mechanics undercut its ecological message. 'Sunlight' by Krillbite Studio offers a meditative VR-painted forest walk with voiceovers and Tchaikovsky's music. 'TOHU' by Fireart Games and The Irregular Corporation is a point-and-click adventure with a girl-robot duo repairing a sacred engine, praised for its visuals but criticized for arbitrary puzzles. The article is authored by Matteo Lupetti and published on Artribune.
Key facts
- Curon was demolished and flooded in 1950 for a hydroelectric dam, creating Lake Resia.
- Only the Romanesque church bell tower remains visible above the lake.
- A Painter's Tale uses a cuboid visual style similar to Minecraft to distinguish human-made objects from nature.
- Cab Ride is a free browser game on itch.io, developed for the fictional Pico-8 console.
- NUTS requires players to place cameras to track squirrels and stop a construction project.
- Sunlight was created using VR painting software Quill, with music by Tchaikovsky.
- TOHU features a girl who can transform into a robot, set on a fish-shaped planet.
- The article is part of Artribune's monthly video game column.
- Krillbite Studio previously gained attention with 'The Plan' in 2013.
- NUTS is available on PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, and iOS via Apple Arcade.
Entities
Artists
- Matteo Lupetti
- Sofia Abatangelo
- Marta Ascari
- Matteo Lollini
- Ben Jones
- Stephen Jones
- Jonatan Van Hove
- Pol Clarissou
- Almut Schwacke (Muuutsch)
- Charlene Putney
- Torfi Ásgeirsson
- Kalonica Quigley
- Edvard Grieg
- Henrik Ibsen
- Pëtr Il'ič Čajkovskij
Institutions
- Monkeys Tales Studio
- IVIPRO
- Powersaurus
- Noodlecake
- Krillbite Studio
- Fireart Games
- The Irregular Corporation
- Apple Arcade
- Steam
- itch.io
- Artribune
- Scuola Internazionale di Comics di Firenze
- Gravure
- FISAR
Locations
- Curon
- Trentino-Alto Adige
- Italy
- Lake Resia