Parthenope: Naples-inspired investigative video game announced
Katabasi Studio, a Naples-based collective founded by Fortuna 'Axel Fox' Imperatore and Francesca Balestri, has announced Parthenope, an investigative narrative video game set in an enigmatic and timeless Naples. The game draws inspiration from Disco Elysium (ZA/UM), Pentiment (Microsoft), Elena Ferrante's novels, and Paolo Sorrentino's cinema, blending magical realism with Baroque and Tenebrism. Players follow a cynical anthropologist and a shrewd native as they explore Neapolitan folklore, learning 'Neapolitan skills' to confront a carnivalesque bestiary. The creators emphasize breaking stereotypes about Naples and its culture. Katabasi Studio previously collaborated on Work Down (Game2Value) and Bluethroot (Argomedia), which won the 2020 European Call of the Associazione S. Benedetto di Foggia for combating school dropout in southern Italy. The game is described as a 'pioneering leap' aiming to redefine independent gaming and achieve virality.
Key facts
- Parthenope is an investigative video game set in Naples.
- Developed by Katabasi Studio, founded by Fortuna 'Axel Fox' Imperatore and Francesca Balestri.
- Inspired by Disco Elysium, Pentiment, Elena Ferrante, and Paolo Sorrentino.
- Features a cynical anthropologist and a shrewd native as protagonists.
- Gameplay involves learning 'Neapolitan skills' and facing a carnivalesque bestiary.
- Creators aim to break stereotypes about Naples.
- Katabasi Studio previously made Work Down and Bluethroot.
- Bluethroot won the 2020 European Call of the Associazione S. Benedetto di Foggia.
Entities
Artists
- Fortuna 'Axel Fox' Imperatore
- Francesca Balestri
Institutions
- Katabasi Studio
- ZA/UM
- Microsoft
- Game2Value
- Argomedia
- Associazione S. Benedetto di Foggia
- Artribune
Locations
- Naples
- Italy
- Firenze
- Foggia