The Master's Pupil one to keep an eye on

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Demo available for side-scrolling, hand-painted biographical puzzle-platformer about Claude Monet's life

Adventure games often let us view events directly through the eyes of their protagonists, but in Pat Naoum's upcoming puzzle-platformer The Master's Pupil, we'll be experiencing the life of one of history's greatest artists from within his own eye.

Rather than tell an overt biography through language, the game presents a series of abstract obstacles representing a kind of impressionistic version of "the ups and downs" experienced by the famous nineteenth-century painter Claude Monet throughout his life. To help complete his various masterpieces across twelve linear levels set within the artist's own eye, players must overcome a variety of "mind-bending puzzles based on colour, physics and space." As you progress across Monet's iris, "fragments and emotions are filtered down and portrayed with an intricate soundscape and score," filling in additonal details about his (perceived) experience. But beware, as one of the more challenging obstacles will be to help "face down the cataracts that threatened Claude Monet's eyesight during the latter half of his life."

Unusually for a side-scrolling puzzle-platformer, but appropriately for a game about Monet, The Master's Pupil is entirely hand-painted. Along with Monet's own exquisite works, the game's solo Australian developer has spent "hundreds of hours ... painting backgrounds, foregrounds and assets to sculpt a world that fits with Monet’s changing style across his life." There's much more to the experience than just pretty pictures, however. Inspired by the likes of Braid and Limbo, there will be more than 80 puzzles to solve along the way. Each new level introduces new mechanics, including "colour combining, flowing drafts, and breakable crystals, along with physics-based balls, blocks and actual chunks of paintings." Progress involves a more physical kind of interaction than a traditional adventure, but there will be "no elaborate control system or twitch reflexes" needed to succeed.

With The Master's Pupil listed as "coming soon" on Steam, those who'd like an early sample of what's to come can join the developer's Discord for access to a playable demo of the game's opening stages in the meantime.