Cradle, Kairo ready to rock the genre later this spring

Written by Jack Allin — February 23, 2012 at 16:30

This is shaping up to be a very good year for experimental indie adventures, as a pair of unique new sci-fi titles are just around the corner.

Cradle

Cradle is a first-person, free-roaming quest that centers around "the protagonist and a mechanized girl, who by enigmatic circumstances find themselves together in a yurt among the desert Mongolian hills. The player is to restore the lost functions of his companion's mechanical body parts and together reveal the mystery of the neglected entertainment park found not far from the yurt."

As seen in the game's first trailer, Cradle features detailed 3D graphics of a surreal world meant to convey what developer Flying Cafe for Seminanimals describes as "a specific emotional experience similar to what we may see in a night dream". While little is known about the gameplay itself, Cradle promises to involve a combination of "classic quest mechanics with dynamic arcade puzzles" and a high density of "unique interactive objects providing extra story details".

If all that sounds a bit vague, that's probably the idea, but we'll soon know more as the game is scheduled for release sometime this spring. In the meantime, check out the official website for additional details.

Kairo

Richard Perrin's Kairo is perhaps even more mysterious, with its stark colours, spartan presentation, and unconventional approach to story. This "3D exploration and puzzle solving game" by the creator of the acclaimed freeware adventure the white chamber drops players into the lost world of Kairo and challenges them to "explore vast abandoned monuments. Bring strange and ancient machinery back to life. Slowly uncover the true purpose of Kairo and fulfil a great destiny."

Perrin is reluctant to give any more details about the game at this time, telling Adventure Gamers that the world and puzzles themselves are used to tell the story "without relying on the usual crutches of text or dialogue." The game will initially be released for PC and Mac, with iOS and possibly Android launches following at a later date. There is no firm timeline for the game yet, but the developer is currently targeting completion sometime in May. If that's too long to wait, a pre-order option from the official website allows exclusive access to alpha builds in the meantime.