Veil lifted for first glimpse into The Mystery Mist 

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Hand-drawn, top-down Chinese adventure-RPG coming to Windows and Mac on Steam

At a time when there's more skepticism than ever about the efficacy of medicines, you'll soon have the chance to devise some health-restoring treatments of your own from a most unexpected source – bugs! – in Wolf Smoke Studio's upcoming adventure-RPG The Mystery Mist. 

The mist in question isn't just mysterious but fatally toxic for those exposed to it for long, and its spread is "relentless, shrouding everything in danger." One of its victims is the younger sister of Yaqing, who now clings desperately to life, trapped in a deep coma. Her only hope for survival is for Yaqing to embark on a "perilous journey to find a renowned, enigmatic physician" in a city called Hidden Town. There he must become the doctor's apprentice and learn to "harness the power of insects to craft life-saving medicines and save his sister from a grim fate." In doing so, players will interact with over 120 local residents, and before long it becomes clear that this seemingly peaceful place only displays an outward "facade of tranquility." Beneath the surface are secrets and simmering tensions between two warring races, and an "impending dispute threatens to bring catastrophe to the inhabitants."

Presented in a lovely hand-drawn art style with an overhead view, The Mystery Mist promises a blend of roleplaying and point-and-click adventuring in a story containing over 350,000 words of text, with "primary dialogues" to be voiced. To save Yaqing's sister, you will need to thoroughly explore the Asian-flavoured environments in search of clues and remedies to research, as well as organic materials to be collected via small minigames. Making friends and forming relationships is key to success as well, as only by "increasing his favorability with NPCs" can the protagonist "learn various rumors" and unlock new avenues to pursue. The better you get to know the troubled townsfolk by "experiencing the joys and sorrows of different families and even deciding their fates," the more you'll discover about the city's ongoing conflict. Each person you interact with can "influence the story's outcome," leading to one of "three main endings and up to 20 side endings."

No release date has yet been announced for The Mystery Mist, but the game is now ready for wishlisting on Steam for Windows and Mac.