KRENDEL silently making its way closer to Steam release

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Wordless Amanita-styled point-and-click adventure from Ukraine unveiled for Windows PC

Ever look around at your fellow citizens and wonder how we all got here? We have different backgrounds, varied ethnicities and personal experiences, and yet somehow we all ended up in the same place together. But if that's true for us, it's especially true for the creatures of KRENDEL, an upcoming Amanita-styled adventure from solo Ukrainian developer Oleksandr Maksiutenko and his HandHush Studio. 

The world of KRENDEL is like a shelter for castoffs, filled with "all sorts of unusual creatures." Some are knitted, while others are mechanical and some are "harder to classify." What they all share in common is that none of them originated directly from this place, but rather came here or descended from those who "arrived from elsewhere and stayed." Despite their differences (or because of them) they've been able to peacefully co-exist, working together to build "settlements, ports, workshops, taverns, and entire communities." At first glance, all seems well in a place where "time moves at its own pace – quiet, melancholic, and full of hidden magic." Beneath the surface, though, is an underlying sense that "something isn't quite right." Older buildings and machines still function, but no one remembers who built them or why, and "many places seem simultaneously inhabited and abandoned." People dutifully follow traditions that "no longer make complete sense," and it feels as if part of the world's history "has quietly slipped away."

Against this mysterious backdrop, an "eccentric, stubborn oddball" named Pip decides to venture out to learn more of this strange melting pot of people, technologies and cultures. Like everyone else here, Pip has no knowledge of his people's history, but he's a much more inquisitive sort than most, a "curious wanderer" with "a habit of touching things, opening them, fixing them, and asking questions that others have long since stopped asking." And so, "driven by wanderlust," Pip embarks on a journey that begins as a simple excursion but "evolves into a quest for understanding: why did all these different beings come here? What are they hiding from? Why does no one want to talk about the world beyond the horizon? And why does this refuge seem to be waiting for something?"

Clearly there's a lot left unspoken in KRENDEL, so appropriately there's no language at all. Inspired by classics like Samorost and Machinarium, this game relies on "atmosphere, sound, and emotion," communicating its ideas only through "environmental storytelling [and] animated thought bubbles." Accompanied by an original soundtrack, players will point-and-click their way through a series of beautiful hand-drawn environments on a journey "across creaking sunset piers, into the dim and cozy glow of underground taverns, and through overgrown, half-forgotten places." Thoughtful ambient animation will bring these locations to life, as "laundry sways gently in the wind, shadows dance across old walls, and an ancient house that has stood motionless for centuries may suddenly awaken – rising with a deep rumble as its stone foundation crumbles into dust right before your eyes." 

There will be plenty of puzzles sprinkled throughout, integrated in such a way that the world itself is meant to feel like an interconnected series of challenges. Obstacles can arise from "misunderstandings ... broken machines, forgotten places, uncooperative characters, and sometimes the consequences of disturbing things that perhaps should have been left alone." The developer assures players that they "won't simply be solving abstract mechanisms" but rather interacting with the environment in an organic way so that each solution feels like "a natural consequence of understanding how the world and its inhabitants work." Along the way we'll meet a variety of "strange, funny, and charming characters," as well as "colossal ancient creatures" who "act as silent guardians or oracles of this world, sharing cryptic visual stories" that help illuminate the unknown story of this place. As more of the mystery unfolds, the more it increasingly becomes a "bittersweet fairy tale" stemming from "the contrast between the world's warmth and its hidden sadness."

It's too soon for a release date just yet, but not too soon to wishlist the game on Steam, where KRENDEL is currently on track to launch on Windows PC sometime in late 2027.