Demo materializes for Seina: A Tale of Spirits

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Full version of cozy 3D watercolour adventure coming to PC and consoles later this year

Normally a missing pet is a sad thing, but not when the quest to find it is such a cozy, beautiful journey like it promises to be in Seina: A Tale of Spirits, the upcoming 3D adventure from solo Greek developer Argyro Brotsi.

The game is named not after the protagonist, but rather the missing feline at the heart of it all. Young Mika, determined to track down her lost kitty, sets out on a "heartfelt adventure that leads her into a forgotten, overgrown world where moss-covered shrines and quiet spirits hold memories of another time." In her travels through this "quiet spirit world," she will encounter a variety of delightful animal folk, and by helping out those in need, Mika will gradually make her way past the natural obstacles devised by the "trickster of the woods" to stop her in her tracks.   

Influenced in part by the developer's own honeymoon experiences in Japan's traditional villages, Seina is a stunning hand-painted watercolour adventure designed to evoke a "warm, Ghibli-inspired charm." Via gamepad or keyboard controls, you are free to leisurely explore vibrant "misty forests and peaceful lakes" that are rendered in 3D but illustrated "as if lifted from a storybook." Along the way you'll encounter various "shrines, forgotten paths and ancient dwellings that each hold memories of the world." 

There are plenty of living creatures here too, not just remembrances of the past. It'll be your task to help them with their needs, whether the tiny mushroom people in need of leaf shelter from the sun, or an old man whose hat has been stolen by a crane, among many others. To aid these "gentle inhabitants," you must collect items, solve "light environmental puzzles" and even do a bit of mild platforming, your abilities magically increasing as you progress. In the process, you will uncover a "quietly emotional story about connection, kindness and the strange ways a journey to find something can lead you to discover something else entirely."

The full version of Seina: A Tale of Spirits is expected to arrive sometime later this year on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, but you can sample a first taste of its abundant sweetness already through the playable demo available now on Steam.