Factsheet
Developer:
In the Beginning was the Word Game
Based in Bern, Switzerland
Release date:
As soon as anybody notices...
Platforms:
itch.io (PC / Mac / Linux)
Website:
ibwwg.itch.io/mathildagame
Regular Price:
| Pay What You Want! (minimum: FREE!) |
Description
Willy and Mathilda go on a neo-retro houseboat adventure! Through a series of mini-games interwoven with the original book narrated by its author, discover the imaginative world of the two traveling neighbours and the friends they meet along the way.
History
With Mathilda's 9th birthday on the medium-term radar, I had an idea. For a going-away present, a dear friend of ours, Michael Torreiter, had previously written and illustrated a book for her; now I asked what he thought about it being made into a video game, and he was all for it. Thus Willy and Mathilda's Houseboat Adventure: The Game was born, originally having 9 minigames for her 9th birthday. This labour of love zoomed along crazily for six weeks, all in secret. Thankfully, the game was playable enough when her birthday arrived! She immediately was drafted as a beta tester and voiceover artist. At that point there were still over 100 todo items outstanding, scattered all over the codebase, a notebook, and my dreams; she added a dozen more during her first play-through. At the end of April 2016, we launched this web site, and began being a lot more public about the game's development, because I think it's fun to celebrate what you're working on, and see it better through the eyes of others. Just over a month later, Ashton Mills and Dustin van Wyk had independently come forward to join Jennifer Pryde in composing the beautiful music that brings the game to life. Willy, Michael, and another friend, Maria Basso, did enough voiceover retakes to consider unfriending Kevin, before discovering he was no longer on Facebook. Eventually, after much bug-hunting, testing, and balancing, the game was released for Win/Mac/Linux on itch.io, marking the end of the sabbatical.
Features
- 10 minigames covering 6 genres (educational, side-scroller, anti-beat-em-up, trampoline simulator, puzzle, and hidden object)
- Beautiful and unique cut-out animation and artwork derived from the book by Michael Torreiter, displayed in HD (1080p) glory
- A gorgeous soundtrack of original compositions by Jennifer Field, Ashton Mills, and Dustin van Wyk
- The charming original story narrated (with subtitles) by Michael Torreiter
- Authentic voices from Willy and Mathilda themselves throughout the game
- Replayability through each minigame having pre-set difficulty levels and/or Play What You Can mode, where you play as long as you feel like for points
- Even more replayability from a meta-game of strategic character stat improvements
- A celebratory stickerbook / painting activity, unlocked when you finish the game
- A delightfully quirky announcer who optionally reads all on-screen instructions and buttons for you
Videos
Christmas spot YouTube
The terribly cheesy intro YouTube
Images
Logo & Icon
Selected Articles
- "I’m always drawn towards games where the art style is different and interesting and the child-like visuals of WAM looked great."
- Ashton Mills, Interview - "Balapoo came about because Mathilda was in that 'Disney princess'' phase and I wanted to show a princess that was non-conventional."
- Michael Torreiter, Interview - "I like to look at the slide puzzle and Dolphin Patterns. And Aikido. And Balapoo and Catfish Fairy on the trampoline. And that very very complicated el-SSS or something. And looking for treasure with Willy. Oh, and also, the bonus features."
- Mathilda, Interview - "I think we have something special..."
- Kevin Bloch (né Field), Interview
Request Press Copy
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Additional Links
#mathildagame's itch.io page
Download the game at ibwwg.itch.io.
About In the Beginning was the Word Game
Boilerplate
We make games when we have the chance.
More information
More information on In the Beginning was the Word Game, our logo & relevant media are available here.
Willy and Mathilda's Houseboat Adventure: The GAME Credits
Kevin Bloch (né Field)
Programmer, Project Manager, CEO, etc.
Michael Torreiter
Author, Artist, Narrator
Jennifer Pryde
Music, Freelancer
Ashton Mills
Music, Freelancer
Dustin van Wyk
Music, Freelancer
Contact
Inquiries
press-contact@ibwwg.com
Twitter
twitter.com/wastheWordGame
Facebook
facebook.com/mathildagame
Web
ibwwg.com
presskit() by Rami Ismail (Vlambeer) - also thanks to these fine folks