Indie adventure-survival game Birthplace now has a pre-alpha demo available on Itch.io. Birthplace is the current project of Glen Hosie and Devan Marotta and is set to be their first indie game release, but the project is coming dangerously close to cancellation.
Birthplace appears to be the current version of Project Beach House, a game which we covered in an interview with Glen Hosie in 2017. In the mysterious seaside hamlet of Shadetown, a number of strange robed figures called "Shades" are mixed in with the population. Their enchanted cloaks allow them to conceal their identity, rendering them totally anonymous. A young man named Dan has a missing father, and it's up to him to unravel the occultic mysteries surrounding the town!
Planned features for Birthplace include a day-night cycle, an open world, and a cast of over 25 unique characters in a game that hybridizes the adventure and survival genres. It certainly sounds like an interesting project, but the fate of Mr. Hosie and Mr. Marotta's first title is uncertain.
Glen Hosie and Devan Marotta are seeking to work on small, experimental games for the near future and they haven't gotten much in the way of interest. They're seeking to bring up their Patreon to the $50/month level to continue development on this intriguing game; if they can't manage it, they'll be moving on to another project.
You can try out a pre-alpha build of Birthplace on Itch.io completely for free for PC and Linux. If it strikes your fancy, you should consider pledging to their Patreon to help fund development of this game and their future titles. They'll also be showing off their game in person at Playcrafting's Spring Play 2019 event in New York City. If they can't hit their Patreon goal by the end of May, they're probably going to be moving on to a different project.
What do you think of Birthplace? Do you enjoy small, experimental indie games or do you prefer larger experiences that can take up a lot of your time? Let us know in the comments below!
