A new epic journey around the world, Roots in the Sky is the sequel to the acclaimed point & click adventure The Hand of Glory!
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Hello Adventurers!
We hope this update finds you well. It’s been an exciting year for Roots in the Sky, and we’re thrilled to share some big news about our progress. Let’s dive right in!
That’s right, we’ve officially reached a major milestone: the alpha version of the game is complete. This means you can now play Roots in the Sky from start to finish—a huge step forward in development!
And about that, Here’s where we stand with the game’s development:
We know some of these numbers might make it seem like there’s still a ton to do. But rest assured, we’ve already tackled the most time-consuming parts of the project. The finish line is in sight!
To celebrate the holidays, we’re giving you a sneak peek at a brand-new scene! We’re showing it off in both its daytime and nighttime glory—because why not? This is just one of the many new assets we’ve been working on, and trust us, there’s plenty more where that came from.
Also, we have a little graphic surprise in the works! We’re putting the finishing touches on an additional feature that we think will make the game even more exciting, but we want to test it thoroughly before sharing it with you. We can’t wait to reveal it in the next update, so stay tuned!
Our top priority for the new year? Releasing Roots in the Sky! While we’re not ready to commit to a specific date just yet, we can promise you this: the game will launch in 2025. Mark your calendars… or, well, just keep an eye on these updates.
As for now... happy holydays!
Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, ringing in the New Year, or just enjoying the season, we wish you all the best. Thank you for your unwavering support—it means the world to us. Here’s to an amazing 2025 filled with adventure!
Viva l'avventura!
Hey there, everybody!
It’s been a while since our last update, so we thought we’d share something exciting with you! Today, we’re diving into what we’ve been working on, with a special focus on – drum roll – our heroine, Alice!
Unlike Lars, Alice’s model didn’t require a complete overhaul, as it was already well-crafted in the first game. We did make a few tweaks to her look, though! Notably, her signature tuft that used to cover one eye is gone. This change isn’t just cosmetic; it has narrative significance. If you played The Hand of Glory and know the reason behind her original hairstyle, Roots in the Sky might reveal why we decided to make this adjustment.
Naturally, Alice’s outfit has also evolved to reflect her new role. Without giving away too much, let’s just say Alice isn’t an intern anymore, and her appearance had to convey her personal growth.
Additionally, we addressed a detail that felt a bit off in the first game: our main characters wore the same outfit the entire time. This time, like Lars, Alice will change outfits as she travels around the world!
The Alice we met in the first game was a sweet, slightly shy character, but with an undeniable talent. She’s tenacious, competent, reliable, and, most importantly, she knows how to use kinesics!
For those unfamiliar, kinesics is the study of body language, gestures, and facial expressions as a form of nonverbal communication. Alice uses this skill to question suspects and uncover hidden clues.
We’ve brought this power back for the second installment but didn’t want to simply replicate the first game. So, without further ado, here’s the new and improved kinesics mechanic!
One challenge we faced designing the kinesics feature in the first game was that kinesics is inherently a synchronous activity. You’re supposed to observe a person in real-time, catching subtle body language cues. In the original game, however, this process was entirely automated, leaving players only to draw conclusions based on Alice’s observations.
For the sequel, we want you to engage in the entire process. We’ve added an initial interactive phase where, during specific dialogues, you’ll need to quickly respond to particular cues, allowing Alice to take note of them.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We know that some of you may not love quick-time events, but trust us: this really works! And most importantly, accessibility is one of our core values for Roots in the Sky, so you’ll have the option to select the difficulty level for this phase!
After completing Phase 1, you’ll see the results of your observations. This part will feel familiar to players of the first game: for each observation, you’ll need to choose a possible interpretation.
Is it the same as before? Not exactly! We’ve made two key improvements. First, you might now draw incorrect conclusions if the selected elements form a plausible—though ultimately unhelpful—train of thought. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, you’ll see a transcription of the dialogue that led Alice to each observation, giving you all the context you need to make informed conclusions!
The keyword here is EVOLUTION, while keeping the core of the mechanic intact. We hope you enjoy our ideas and execution, and we can’t wait for you to try it!
To wrap up this update, we wanted to share another fantastic Kickstarter campaign that launched just a few days ago: Legends of Castile by Torrezno Entertainment!
Step into the shoes of María de Salazar and investigate the mythical creatures spotted around Castile, embarking on an epic journey through folklore and legends!
Here’s the link to the campaign:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/torrezno/legends-of-castile-a-folk-point-and-click-adventure-game
And that’s it for this update! Let us know in the comments what you think of the new kinesics mechanic, or feel free to share any thoughts you have!
Until next time!
Viva l'avventura!
Hello, dear backers!
Whether you're on vacation, have already been, or are still planning to go, we wanted to keep you company this scorching summer with a themed update!
Let’s dive into what we’ve been up to these past few months and what’s coming next.
Let’s start from the beginning. In the spring, Stefano focused on writing the final texts for the first part of the game, set in Rome. It’s a rich and complex section, full of places to explore and suspects to interrogate, but he managed to get it done (and celebrated for a full three minutes before getting back to work)!
The texts are currently under review. Starting in September, we will begin localization into English, followed by voice acting.
Finishing the Italian section allowed us to shift our full attention to the more adventurous part of the game—traveling! We decided to start with Alice to take a break from Lars’s jovial antics. Our young and promising detective will be dealing with an intriguing excavation in the desert, where a mysterious idol has recently been discovered. Here’s a sneak peek just for you!
One of the things we enjoy most about development is creating characters, both psychologically and visually. We’ll discuss the psychological aspect in a future update, but for now, we want to show you some of the characters Alice will interact with.
And of course, there are animations, which, as you know, are one of our passions. Enjoy this cute camel with its jaw always in action!
Many of you have asked if we’ve set a tentative release date for the game, and unfortunately, we can’t provide a precise answer just yet. Please keep in mind that Roots in the Sky is developed by just three people, who also need to work to make a living.
We’re currently aiming for a release in Q1 2025, but don’t take it as a definite date. We’re doing our best, and believe us, we’re just as eager to let you try out our creation!
That’s all for this update. We hope you enjoyed the new material! Again, happy summer to everyone!
Viva l'avventura!
Everyone, welcome to another update loaded with stories, colors, and adventure! June is at the door, which means almost half of this 2024 has already passed. Did it bear fruits? And were they good and fresh like cherries? Let's find out!
Ah, we on the team love the “Part of the Cast”. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, we’re referring to those backers who will appear in Roots in the Sky as secondary characters. In the first game, we had a blast integrating real people into our fictional narrative, and we take pride in the fact that each of those characters was an important piece. Lars or Alice HAD to interact with them to progress, one way or another.
In Roots in the Sky, it won’t be different, and we are starting these days to contact you to define your role. We will come to you with ideas and proposals, some really interesting and others downright CRAZY. Check your emails, dear friends, it’s going to be fun!
In our previous update, we presented the restyling work we have been doing lately. Well, the work continues and continues greatly. We have redesigned some key characters, who now flaunt a significantly better look compared to their original versions. Say hello to the new Malcolm!
And here are some secondary characters, directly in their refreshed and perfected version!
But the restyling is not limited to the characters. Always trying to stay within budget limits, we are enhancing some scenarios of the part set in Rome by redesigning them from scratch and filling them with animations, particle effects, shaders, and everything we can think of. From this point of view, the first scenario we wanted to elevate to greater glory is precisely that of the water clock, the place where it all begins.
This new version is larger, richer in details, and we think it better conveys the idea of the majesty of Villa Borghese.
As often happens, we want to close this update by pointing out an interesting project currently on Kickstarter. We are referring to Sleepytime Village, a new work from the authors of The Mystery of Woolley Mountain. Play as a workaholic who finds himself catapulted into a world that looks like a children’s storybook, meet the crazy characters that inhabit it... and find a way to escape!
There are three days left on the Kickstarter, so act fast if you’re interested!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lightfootbrosgames/sleepytime-village
And that’s all for today! We'll catch up in the next update, where we will try to provide you with a plausible ESTIMATE of the game's release date!
Viva l'avventura!
*And yeah, that was a reference to the Nature Boy Ric Flair for all our American friends reading this update.