14 DAY TRIAL // Klei Entertainment, the studio behind hit downloadable games like Shank, Mark of the Ninja, or Don't Starve, has just revealed its next game, Incognita, which promises to be a turn-based tactical espionage experience.
Klei has delighted many fans with its top-notch visual style and its emphasis on community feedback, which turned Don't Starve into a great success even before it was actually complete and ready for launch.
Now, the studio has confirmed a new title, Incognita, which will once again follow the same strategy as Don't Starve, meaning it will be released before it's actually complete, so that gamers can try it out and submit feedback to the company.
"The game is already playable," Klei's Jamie Cheng told RPS. "We’re going to do the same thing we did for Don’t Starve. People are going to be able to play it early while it’s still in development and offer feedback."
"Don’t Starve was this weird experiment that blew up to be just amazing. We wanted to build a community. I knew that. And I wanted to work with them and talk with them all the time. Don’t Starve ended up a way better game because of the community."
This sort of strategy, however, can't work with all games, like Klei's previous title, Mark of the Ninja, according to Cheng.
"So same thing. Incognita is again an evolving game. I think that a game like Mark of the Ninja would’ve been much harder to have the community involved. If players just had to replay the same level or something, I think that’d get pretty boring. And of course there’s the story, which would’ve gotten spoiled. So it’s a big difference. But I think Incognita will work out much better."
The turn-based tactical espionage experience will once again use procedural generation, like Don't Starve, and, while Klei cites XCOM: Enemy Unknown as an influence, the title will place a bigger emphasis on information rather than just putting characters in better positions.
The test period will begin at the end of summer, according to the studio, as Cheng wants the game to be really polished before players take it for a spin.
Incognita will appear first for the PC and then on the Mac or Linux platforms.