Vane

Friend & Foe’s puzzle adventure is an indistinct, intriguing shimmer on the horizon.

Much like its development team, Vane holds its cards close to its chest. Some things are plain as day: the scope and mood of Friend & Foe’s forthcoming third person puzzle-adventure is gently familiar, reminiscent of Tequila Works’ Rime, or Fumito Ueda classic Ico. But some things are less clear. Who is the child we’re playing? What is the substance that triggers their transformation into a raven? More to the point: what exactly is our goal in this game? After a long stretch of soaring through the sun-bleached desert, we’re left with more questions than answers. It’s not necessarily a negative impression. It’s definitely a powerful one: a deep, quiet, burning sense of curiosity.

“We stumbled across this feeling as we were developing [the game],” programmer Matt Smith says. “We had this very mysterious vibe and we thought: how do we build a game to support this vibe, and evolve this feeling over the course of the game to make a satisfying experience?” The suggestion that this came about by chance isn’t entirely accurate: artist Rasmus Deguchi is a Team Ico alumnus, after all. “That was a very long time ago, so it’s a very dubious connection at this point,” says a defensive Deguchi, keen to disentangle this fledgling game from the ties of the past. His colleagues are more willing to acknowledge the influence. “We all like their games, and it’s a big reference, especially in terms of mood,” Smith says. “There’s a sort of melancholy to the games we enjoy, so we’re trying to create something with a similar vibe. The Team Ico games are a big inspiration to us. I think Raz might undersell the techniques he’s taken out of his experience there.”