We have reached a point where video games are more varied than ever, with something out here for just about everyone recent years have seen the exponential growth of dystopian environments within video games. The common thread through dystopian games is survival; however, The Crooked Heart, it’s a story about love, sacrifice, and revenge. Game designer and illustrator, Matt Tardiff, has created A Crooked Heart, a traditionally animated video game about a Corgi seeking revenge for the murder of her love, Keiko.
The Crooked Heart, years in the development that was drastically close to crowdfunding changed gears to a premiere on iOS/Android format release by July 2019. The process to preview on iOS/Android is that people more likely to spend money on an unknown artist. This will generate more awareness about the project. Moreover, lead to the full release to the major consoles. The game is currently moving forward within production and continues to reach out for resources.
Before we talk about the remarkable art, let’s discuss the game-play. The version we played was a demo download for the PC. The embodiment of Lulu seeking to save Keiko was impressive. The wall jumping, crawling under obstacles are remarkable. The ease and nimbleness of Lulu are smooth and distinctly reminiscent of how a Corgi would move. The antagonists are creatures and human-like mutants. Dr. Mengele and Pox are a standout. The core mechanics are intrinsically explained in illustrations and “how to” videos. The adept illustrator provides challenges, proficient controls in an incredible world he has created has many intrigued to see the completion of the game.
The environment is exceedingly detailed. Environment props and interactions; crates, breakable walls, disturbed ground, specific doors, and other extra are in the pipeline: the puzzles, obstacles for the story to achieve a proper balance described in the video.
The artwork Their story, animation, and characters give the player a reason to care. The Welsh Pembroke (red) is Lulu, A Crooked Heart’s heroine. The Blue Merle, Cardigan Corgi, is the focus of her quest, Keiko. After four years, Matt says, “A Crooked Heart has gone through many iterations over the years. However, the constant is a focus on great, fun animation, characters and heart.” He shares the conception drawings, clay sculptures to the starting point of the animation. The artwork is splendid and fascinating; the perfect blend of dystopia and charm.
What is their next step? Indie developers are frequently looking for a way to help finance their projects. Here are links to where you can donate and learn more about A Crooked Heart. https://www.paypal.me/acrookedheart?locale.x=en_US
I inquired the thought of, A Crooked Heart, evolving to a board game. I could see it as a cooperative play with dice rolling mechanism. Matt reflected that if A Crooked Heart could work on a board game in some way, then he would never shut down an opportunity to explore that option.
Those who fell for Lulu like we did, there are perks for supporting through PayPal, from poster to sculptures. The full list is available on their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/acrookedheart/
Nerdz Garage highly recommends A Crooked Heart.
We are just trying to tell stories in the end, and A Crooked Heart is a great one!
Developer: Matt Tardiff
Programmer: Juan Sanchez
Composer: Megan Carnes
Release: July
Rating: Not rated
Reviewed on: PC