The Tale of Okabu, Coming Soon to PSN

Hi all! We’re slightly over-excited about the upcoming release of our brand-new PS3 title Okabu. While we’re best known for creating handheld titles (we are the creators of the Rolando series), we’ve found the allure of developing for PlayStation 3 impossible to resist, and so have swapped our touch screens for Dualshocks. For the last two years we have been beavering away creating a brand new world and an all-new adventure, Okabu, that will be coming to exclusively to PSN in the coming months.

Okabu is a co-op action-puzzle-adventure, following the exploits of a two Cloud-whales, Kumulo and Nimbe, as they battle to save their people and their world from the industrialized threat of the Doza clan (a rather unpleasant collection of machinery-obsessed tyrants). The tale of Okabu begins in the ancestral lands of an ancient race of Cloud-Whales – as vast clouds of toxic pollution have risen from the surface, the sky-dwellers have become struck by a great sickness. Two of the remaining healthy Cloud-Whales (the brothers Kumulo and Nimbe) are dispatched by the Cloud-whale elders to the surface to discover (and put a stop to) the source of the pollution.

Meet Kumulo and Nimbe, the Cloud Whales of Okabu

Kumulo and Nimbe do not fight alone! As they explore the surface of the world, they discover the Yorubo: a tribe of people with a deep affinity with nature. They too, have had their lands consumed by pollution and their people have been enslaved: the Yorubo farmers and fishermen have been shackled and imprisoned – forced to work in the factories and mines of the Doza.

The Yorubo have decided that enough is enough – its time to strike back! The best and the bravest of their tribe offer to join the adventure, each bringing their unique skills to the quest. We were a little inspired by the late 70s Japanese TV show “Monkey” (Saiyūki), and the exploits of the Cloud-flying Monkey king – it was a hugely popular tea-time show when I was growing up as a kid in the 80s. We felt that there needed to be more cloud-flying heroes in games, and so it was a natural step to have our Yorubo heroes cruising around on Kumulo and Nimbe’s backs.

Enter the Four Heroes

Each of the heroes brings a totally different style of play to the game. From left to right:

Captain Monkfish: The first cloud-flying hero you meet is the aerodynamic fisherman Captain Monkfish. Using his trusty plunger, Monkfish can harpoon all manner of objects in the environment. Allows a huge amount of interaction with the game world, from yanking open gates and catching fish, to pulling down drawbridges and wrenching exploding fruit from trees.

Picolo: A master of charming, hypnotic rhythms, Picolo can bring to his aid a variety of creatures and friendly Yorubo. Once entranced these creatures can be persuaded to perform all manner of tasks, from operating switches and climbing ropes, to healing trees and making bulls charge and smash though planks of wood.

Roki: Horrified by the actions of his own people, Roki took a stand against the Doza to join the fight, helping Kumulo and the others to clean up the lands and free the Yorubo. He can take control of many Doza machines and vehicles, from bulldozers and turrets, to giant robotic spiders and wrecking balls.

Kat: Teamed up with her flying pet, our Yorubo warrior’s swiftness and combat ability are unsurpassed. Don’t let her pet’s appearance deceive you, this can be one vicious little creature thats more than happy to sink its teeth into a Doza. Her pet can be used to get into narrow areas that Kumulo and friends cannot, as well as neutralizing Doza foe and rewiring Doza circuits.

Check back next week for a closer look at the wide world of Okabu!