Ready to find gameplay and storytelling combined like never before? Think you can take in a multi-perspective tale set in a dystopian future? Liberated is coming to Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC and it’ll drop you into the the pages of a hugely appealing interactive tech-noir graphic novel.
Coming about via a partnership between the developer Atomic Wolf, and that of L.inc and publisher Walkabout Games, Liberated will mix classic motion comic storytelling with playable action sequence in an experience about technological surveillance squeezing society’s freedom away.
After being honoured as a finalist at the 2019 SXSW Gaming Pitch Competition, the hype meter for Liberated is fast moving on up, particularly when you consider the narrative and idea behind it. See, players will experience a story about a world where government authorities use advanced technology to manipulate the population. Civil rights are a thing of the past, with the government engaging in complete surveillance of every citizen in the world. Social media activity, online payments, and GPS location tracking from mobile devices are just some of the ways every single person is being monitored. In this world, there are insurgents resisting this oppression, fighting for their freedom, while government agents try to maintain order and control. In Liberated, players will experience both sides of this conflict, with every choice they make changing the course of the story.
This will all be told over the course of four chapters, with each issue focusing on a different character, as Liberated transitions seamlessly from choice-based branching story sequences to fully playable action sequences. By combining a motion comic with 2.5D platforming, stealth mechanics, and shootouts, and quick-time events, Liberated promises bring the story to life like nothing else.
“The way technology is being used to aid government control has changed drastically in the 21st century and we wanted to explore the dangers of where it’s seemingly headed,” said Marek Czerniak, Creative Director at Atomic Wolf. “Liberated explores this in a nuanced, pragmatic way, with a stylish blend of motion comics and gameplay that keeps things brisk, stylish, and on the edge of your seat!”
“When we first saw what Liberated was up to we were instantly hooked!” said Robert Purzycki, co-founder of Walkabout. “It’s exploring real issues that we grapple with every day as we wrestle with both the advantages and perils of technology, social media, and the stranglehold corporations have over us. We think it’s one of the most thought-provoking games on the horizon and can’t wait to hear players discuss it!”
Just have to know more? The trailer underneath these words is well worth a watch!
We’ll be sure to bring you more as and when we have it, but Liberated on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam) is definitely one of those to look out for.
