Meet the stop-motion video game using real-world objects in a virtual world, Vokabulantis. Stop-motion animation is one of the most challenging and time-consuming art styles to pull off. Artists create figurines made from clay or still images and animate them by taking pictures and moving them ever-so-slightly to mimic movement. Studios like LAIKA, the creators of Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, have made a name for themselves using this technique in films. Yet, this isn't the first time a game has used stop-motion.
One of the most famous uses of stop-motion in gaming comes from Netherrealm, which initially used clay figurines to animate the characters Goro, Kintaro, Sheeva, and Motoro in the original Mortal Kombat trilogy. Another famous example is the Doom series, which used real-world figurines in-game by scanning and digitizing them into the game world. Both of these examples implemented techniques used before 3D modeling took off in the 80s. Other lesser-known games have released using stop-motion, but that list is relatively short and varies much more dramatically in execution.
As reported by GameSpot, Vokabulantis is described as a love-driven co-op action platformer by developers Wiredfly and Kong Orange. Players will take control of Kurt and Karla, two kids on the cusp of declaring their love for one another before their mouths mysteriously disappear. Without mouths, they journey through an unfamiliar world to convey their feelings without words. The lovebird protagonists will explore a handcrafted world made using real-world objects scanned into the game. Kong Orange says that level design will reflect the challenges people experience in relationships, such as the distance between the two changing the level. Additionally, because of the unique style, cutscenes will seamlessly merge into gameplay. The developers believe that the game will be roughly 8-10 hours long with an additional 2 hours based on collectibles.
Inspired by Inside and Little Nightmares, Vokabulantis will be fully playable in either single player or online co-op. Local co-op and other game additions are marked as goals on the Kickstarter. Wiredfly is a Danish puppet animation studio in partnership with Kong Orange, the makers of indie-puzzler Felix the Reaper. The game is currently in a Kickstarter campaign with over 83% of its $82,391 goal fulfilled and ten days left to go as of this writing. Kong Orange has been developing the project for several years already with Wiredfly, but the company says that a potential release date is still several years away – the earliest being 2024. It is confirmed to release on Steam, with the goal of eventually adding more platforms.
Vokabulantis is not the only game in development using Claymation or stop-motion animation either. Several games have been in development for years, like Harold Halibut, or are in early-access right now on Steam. However, due to the nature and cost of development, these projects will take even longer than standard game development already does. Regardless, the company's progress is already impressive, and hopefully, the project gets enough funds to reach its tentative 2024 release.
Vokabulantis is currently in development for PC.
Source: GameSpot