There are many ways of tackling mental health issues in the gaming world, but perhaps none have done so as well as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – a game that has received a ton of plaudits since first release. There’s another game which is attempting a similar focus though, but this one comes from a single indie developer intent on telling how mental health is different for everyone; how the picture is never the same. That developer is Big Spec Games and the game is Lionel the Dragon.
In development for PC (Steam), with a console release following on, Lionel the Dragon from Big Spec Games (otherwise known as the solo dev Martin Quigley), is a new 2.5D story driven action puzzler that covers dark and moody themes.
It centralises efforts on a child – Lionel – who has an extremely worrying view of the world. You see, it’s here where the shops are empty, there are no friends for him to see and all he wants in life is for his parents to come and pick him up. The thing is, his parents aren’t particularly kind either, so much so that he stopped caring for them long ago.
Due to release on Steam in Q4 2024 (yep, this one is a way off yet), with a console release to follow that, Lionel the Dragon certainly looks to follow on from the likes of INSIDE, Limbo and that of Little Nightmares, delivered with a dark touch that will allow the player to tell their own tale.
There’s obviously plenty of work for Big Spec Games to get on with, but with a good few years until planned release, and a premise that is already pretty appealing, we look forward to seeing where this one goes.
There’s some very early footage in the trailer below. Give it a watch and let us know your thoughts. Will this be one you’ll be keeping an eye on?
, with a console release following on, Lionel the Dragon from Big Spec Games is a new 2.5D story driven action puzzler that covers dark and moody themes. ){kind=link}