Demo breaks out for Antioma

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Point-and-click side-scrolling adventure about a sick boy trapped in the hospital coming to PC on Steam

Birthdays can be special times, particularly for kids surrounded by friends and family. But not nearly as much if you're stuck in the hospital, your most cherished visitor nowhere to be found. This is the reality facing the sick young protagonist of West East Studio's upcoming adventure, Antioma.

A boy named Kiddo has suffered all his life from a degenerative disease, and even after being hospitalized for four years, he's shown no sign of improvement. He's plagued by bad dreams at night, and now even his favourite nurse is leaving him, to be replaced by a younger, grouchier one. But for one day even that's okay, because it's Kiddo birthday and his mom always comes to spend the whole day with him to celebrate. Sadly, for reasons unknown, she doesn't show up this time, even after his friends have gone off to see their own families. He's not entirely alone, though, as Kiddo soon meets the mysterious inky-black "Shadow," who convinces the boy he needs to escape and find his missing mother himself. It's an exciting proposition for Kiddo, but "little does he know what a complicated and fascinating world lies concealed beyond the hospital walls." 

As heart-wrenching as its premise might sound, Antioma features a charming hand-drawn art style and a sense of wonder and curiosity that reflects a child's innocent perspective. Gameplay is classic third-person point-and-click, though you're limited in moving Kiddo horizontally across side-scrolling environments. Both inside and out of the hospital you'll find people to talk to, items to collect, and clues to observe in order to solve logic puzzles such as helping out the new nurse sort books, or making sure Kiddo's pals Stormy, Sunshine and Cloud have just the right food to eat in the cafeteria. As a fugitive on the run, you'll also need to evade the watchful eyes of adults with stealth at times, complete some light minigames in order to keep calm, and make important choices that may have significant consequences later on. Venturing out into the community without proper care may not be the healthiest choice for a sick boy, so Kiddo's fate is in your hands as you guide him in making new friends, documenting his adventures in his album, and perhaps even overcoming his illness – if only for a while – as he explores the small town in an effort to get home.

There is no target release date for Antioma just yet, but a playable demo of the game is available on Steam for Windows PC, giving players an early chance to help break the young protagonist out of his medical captivity.