Many of us have probably heard about video games that are developed in Lithuania. One of the most successful examples for personal computers and consoles is Human: Fall Flat, which is played by several tens of millions of players worldwide. We also have at least a dozen successful mobile games. However, so far only a few games have been invited to visit Vilnius virtually.
In the introductory video clip of the adventure game "Crowns and Pawns" (Lithuanian: "Karūnos ir peštininkai") published on Tuesday by the Lithuanian company "Tag of Joy", we see how the life of the game's protagonist Milda, who grew up in Chicago, takes an unexpected turn: a girl, having received her grandfather's will, travels to her parents' home country, Lithuania, where more than one interesting discovery awaits her.
"The action of the game revolves around the history of Lithuania and its importance in Europe. In it, we will hear about such well-known historical figures of the LDK as Vytautas Didiji, Barboras Radvilaitė, Jonas Kristupas Glaubica, and we will get to know the KGB organization that operated in the Soviet era," says Ignas Veršinskas, the scriptwriter of the game. When asked whether the history of Lithuania will really be interesting to world players, Ignas says that we usually underestimate our past, because we hardly see it in the global popular media - but a large number of foreigners see Lithuania and its history as exotic, unknown and surprising, and this should be one of the features of the game.
True, while playing the game together with Milda, we will visit several other European countries in addition to Lithuania. And although the creators mention that those who watch the video clip carefully may notice hints, but in order to maintain the intrigue, they do not want to reveal the names of the countries yet.
In addition to the interesting story of the game, producer Šarūnas Ledas names more outstanding features: "One of the most noticeable aspects of the game is the visuals. "Crowns and Pawns" fascinates with its colors and especially carefully drawn details. The game uses hand-drawn 2D background images and 3D character animations, video effects. It's a really fun take on the classic adventure genre with today's technology." The images of the game are drawn by Lithuanian artists, and the soundtrack is created by a German composer who has received several awards, including for the best sound in the game, so "Crowns and Pawns" should not only look unique, but also sound attractive.
"Vilnius old town – worth a visit!” says the character of the game at the end of the video clip. Will it be a game that will attract tourists to Vilnius, similar to what happened with the series "Chernobylis"? This should become clear very soon - after a long wait, this game should reach PC players already this spring (the PC version of the games should be released a little later). And for now, the developers offer to follow the game on social networks or on the Steam platform, from which a demo version can be downloaded for free this week only.
