Announced at Devolver Digital Direct, Olija is in development at independent Japanese studio Skeleton Crew. Set in a mysterious country known as Terraphage, players control Faraday, a marooned castaway desperately trying to survive and escape.
While it’s in development at Skeleton Crew, Olija is the work of one person; Thomas Olsson. Described as a swashbuckling adventure inspired by Prince of Persia and Another World, it’s the latter’s influence that’s immediately apparent.
As Faraday, players aqcuire the mystical Harpoon of legend which is the crux of Olija’s exploration and combat.
Olija
Faraday is able to throw the Harpoon at objects and enemies and when it hits, he can instantly teleport to their location. With a seconday weapon equipped, it’s easy to create killer combos that devastate groups of enemies while Faraday, essentially, teleports around the level.
A short demo is available on Steam and gives a taste of the world, art, combat and gameplay. Olija is said to be inspired by both eastern and western stories and players will be able to find and equip numerous hats that both reflect these influences and affect gameplay.
The art and aesthetic harkens back to the rotoscoped pixel art adventure games from long ago — like Another World and Prince of Persia — and looks great. The animations are smooth and the overall style is, so far, looking very horror/pirate.
Olija is set to be released for PC and Switch in 2020. Stay tuned for more.
