BIRD WATCH

Inside Luna, a fable based on children’s literature

Luna tells the story of a young bird that is convinced by the authoritative owl you see here to swallow the last remaining piece of the waning moon. Described as a “tactile puzzle game” – and inspired by origami, sculpture and printmaking – its gameplay will focus on transforming the objects and characters in this world, and even the world itself.

“Luna is an interactive fable about coming to terms with mistakes, processing change, and growing into the person you choose to become,” CEO of developer Funomena, tells us. “We’re inspired by children’s literature, including Goodnight Moon, The Grouchy Ladybug and classic Golden Books, but also illustrator Mary Blair, Japanese woodcut artist Umetaro Azechi, and sculptors such as Lee Bontecou, Anish Kapoor and Gabriel Orozco. There is a magical, textural quality to the work of these artists that we felt was important for the themes of transformation we’re trying to explore.

“Glenn [Hernandez] began doing concept work for the game about a year ago. We spent a long time painting, drawing and sharing notes as we collaborated on the feel of the world, focusing on building a world that was textured like Glenn’s concepts, which were often done in gouache, but that still feels 3D and sculptural.”

Footage of the game debuted at IndieCade this year and Funomena is moving into full production now. The image reproduced here was generated in-engine, but there’s still a lot of work ahead. Hunicke says it’s too early to tell whether Luna will arrive in 2015, but we’re already looking forward to seeing more of this charming-looking concept.

Robin Hunicke,