Secrets of Raetikon soaring out of Early Access for full launch
Secrets of Raetikon is like a flight sim with vectors, except instead of flying like a bird you literally are a bird, and the vectors aren't co-ordinates but vibrant graphics that comprise the Alpine setting. The game's been on Steam Early Access for a few months but next week sees it launch in full, meaning the early birds finally get to see the game's "grand finale."
Indie dev Broken Rules describes Secrets of Raetikon as a "story-based sandbox in an open world." By exploring the game's uncharted 2D landscape you find mysterious machines that are powered by glowing shards that you can collect, as you start to unlock the Secrets. That's all well and good, but according to Joystiq's Jess Conditt, the true joy in Secrets of Raetikon lies in interacting with the wildlife around you.
"The environments are filled with animals, plants and hidden passageways, and it's possible to directly interact with most things," Jess wrote in her alpha preview. "Some birds will divebomb you, draining health and impeding your journey, while others flit around trees and bushes, content to live their own lives. Unless you grab one and hurl it across the map, of course. It's possible to grab pretty much anything – hostile and adorable birds, bunny rabbits, foxes, trees, bushes and branches. Grabbing an animal allows you to fling it away or into strategic locations, whether it be a defensive throw to distract an angry animal from attacking you, or placing two bunnies next to each other to make them mate. They're nothing but mammals, after all."
You can channel those discoveries in full when Secrets of Raetikon flies onto Windows PC, Mac, and Linux on April 17. The regular price is $10, but it'll be $9 across the launch sale.
[Image: Broken Rules]
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SECRETS OF RAETIKON TO LAUNCH ON STEAM AND MAC APP STORE ON APRIL 17TH
"While playing Secrets of Raetikon ... I was on cloud nine." Jess Condit, Joystiq
Broken Rules is releasing its third game, Secrets of Raetikon. After the award-winning And Yet It Moves and the Nintendo Wii U launch title Chasing Aurora, Secrets of Raetikon marks the comeback to the PC (and Mac and Linux) platform. The game has been on Steam Early Access since January and is launching on April 17th on Steam, the Humble Store and on the Mac App Store.
ABOUT SECRETS OF RAETIKON
"... a title of masterful mystique, beauty, and playfulness" Kill Screen (ignoring the embargo), 81%
Secrets of Raetikon is an atmospheric, open-world 2D game where you fly like a bird and explore a uncharted world. As a mysterious winged being, you find yourself alone in the mountains of the Alps. Discover strange contraptions, wild animals and the mysteries of an ancient culture. Your quest is to uncover the Secrets of Raetikon.
The game is loosely based on the ancient culture of the Raetic people, who roamed the Alps until being overrun by the Roman Empire. The Steam version comes with a full-featured level editor that allows creating mods, new content, or even new games and distribute them via Steam Workshop.
Here's the full list of what is in the game:
- Single player campaign
- A living, breathing world populated by all kinds of animals
- An emergent ecosystem influenced by your actions
- Fully interactive physical world
- An epic story told in Raetic runes
- Huge animal kings and ancient contraptions
- Play creatively and solve puzzles the way you want
- Achievements (on Steam) and Stats
- The full game is editable via the built-in level editor
- Easily share your self-designed levels via Steam Workshop
OFFICIAL BROKEN RULES STATEMENT
"We wanted to create a game with high replay value and thus the AI and physics are the pillars the gameplay rests upon. Every animal has a distinct behaviour and all of them react to each other. Every bush can be uprooted and every branch torn out. The game is a story-based sandbox in an open world. And there is in fact a hidden gravity gun."
