A MYSTERY video game created by a group of Bahrainis is set to be released as a demo at Bahrain Comic Con in October this year.
Catatonic is currently being developed by Bahrain-based indie game studio Fred Da Dead Productions, who claim it will be the country’s first-ever game on PlayStation upon its full release in late 2024.
In the hand-drawn 2D adventure game, players will be tasked with escaping the horror-filled mind of protagonist Katrina by solving puzzles, playing mini-games and beating ‘bosses’.
“The game’s plot is a film noir-inspired mystery, and it centres around our main character Katrina, an anthropomorphic cat,” team member Faris Al Alawi told the GDN.
“Players, taking on the role of Katrina, will have to find a way to escape the dark and gloomy obstacles plaguing her imagination and unravel the secrets concealed within its depths.”
Katrina will be voiced by American actress Leilani Shiu, who featured in various Star Wars television shows including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Set in New Marilyn City, a 1930s fictional version of New York City, the game will be a two-dimensional side-scroller wherein players can only move left or right. To advance, they need to search for items and put together clues to defeat ‘bosses’ through pacifist means. In video games, a ‘boss’ is an enemy who appears at the end of a level and is difficult to beat.
A ‘demonstrative’ version of the game is set be launched at Bahrain Comic Con from October 6 to 7, and will be available for download after the convention.
However, the full-length game – with eight hours’ worth of gameplay and five different chapters – will be available on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One.
A small group of Bahrainis make up the production team, including 24-year-old marketing director Mr Al Alawi and 27-year-old creative director Mohamed Al Zekri.
Mr Al Alawi’s 26-year-old twin cousins Ahmed and Mohammed Al Alawi are executive producer and narrative director respectively.
Catatonic’s original soundtrack, described as ‘a unique blend of atmospheric ambience and jazz music’ meant to captivate players, will be composed by Mr Al Zekri.
The game’s artwork, created by Colombian artist Ana ‘Crayola’ Diaz, pays homage to classic cartoons like Popeye, Betty Boop and Felix the Cat.
Its first chapter will be set in a morgue, with further unique, scary chapters taking place in a library, city and more.
Despite promising releases on all major gaming consoles, no core team member is a professional coder.
“Currently, none of us are professional developers by trade,” said Mr Al Alawi. “However, Ahmed has taken the initiative to learn coding through online resources, which has been invaluable for our project,” he added.
“To supplement our skills, we have been collaborating with a talented Bahraini developer who has been leading the development efforts.”
The demo will be available for download for PC on Steam, a video game digital distribution service.
More details about the game can be found on Fred Da Dead Productions’ Instagram page @freddadead.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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