Video game creator Cowleyfornia Studios recently announced the January 28, 2021 release date for Sarawak, it’s narrative and literary mystery adventure game. The game will launch on Steam for Windows, Mac, and Linux at an as-yet-unannounced price.
Sarawak is also currently scheduled to launch for mobile devices (iOS and Android) in Spring 2021, and for the Nintendo Switch sometime later this year. You can connect to the Cowleyfornia Studios Twitter, Instagram, and Discord channels for those announcements and more info.
Sarawak already has a Steam listing if you’re ready to wishlist it. According to the notes there and the official website, Sarawak is “a text-based narrative adventure” that takes place in the city of Oxford, United Kingdom, and also on the third largest island in the world, Borneo. You roleplay a character who, while on a holiday break, discovers a dead university professor outside your hotel. When your vacation companion is suddenly arrested and charged with the professor’s murder, you embark on the quest to find out the truth, tracking a trail of secrets the professor left behind.
During your quest, you’re challenged with point-and-click puzzles and narrative choices in order to solve the professor’s mysterious secrets. Sarawak plays out like a classic point-and-click text adventure, with a focus on interactivity and “the narrative flexibility of a book.” If you’re a fan of mystery novels such as Agatha Christie and classic text adventure video games such as 80 Days (Inkle Studios / Cape Guy), A Case of Distrust (The Wandering Ben / Serenity Forge), and Where the Water Tastes Like Wine (Dim Bulb Games / Serenity Forge / Good Shepherd Entertainment), then Sarawak may be the next game in that genre you’ll enjoy.
See that excellent art style in the Sarawak launch trailer? The unique construction of paper-like graphics is the wonderful work of artist Marina Sciberras, who also happens to be one half of the husband-wife duo team who make up Cowleyfornia Studios. Sciberras also handled the game’s writing, while her husband Duncan developed the game’s engine. Sarawak is the studio’s first project.
Click over to the studio’s website to see a Gallery of Sarawak screenshots, and to check out the studio’s Etsy store where you can Sarawak art prints.
Source: Cowleyfornia Studios