The films of Hayao Miyazaki give us worlds in which we would love to live. Who wouldn’t want to fly around and fight air pirates with Porco Rosso, save a forest full of spirits with Princess Monokoke, or meet a world of beasts and monsters like in Spirited Away? A French game developer called Bloomylight Studios definitely has and they’ve turned their love for the look and feel of Studio Ghibli films into a 2D platformer game called Lynn and the Spirits of Inao, which is currently being Kickstarted.
Have a look at their gorgeous early test footage:
As the crew says on the Kickstarter page, the game is going to endeavor to mix the beauty and magic of Miyazaki’s films with the old-school, universally beloved gameplay of classic Nintendo games like Super Mario Bros. You’ll be able to freely explore through open world progression like in Metroidvania. They hope to be able to release the game on PC and Steam, but they might expand to more platforms if the campaign goes well.
In the game, you are the titular Lynn—apprentice to her village’s High Priestess, accompanied by Aku, a demon-like spirit. They team up to solve the mysteries of the spirits of the island of Inao and “appease its tortured souls.” Surprisingly dark all of the sudden there, but cool. You’ll get to control day and night, traverse dynamic platforming levels, and investigate the island’s strange disturbances with the help of inhabitants and magical beings alike.
Since the game is European, all of the donation levels are in Euros (the conversion is about $1.15 per one Euro), but the rewards are pretty amazing in any country—including art books and guide maps, your name appearing in the game on a monument, and even helping to design one of the game’s bosses. You can be part of the collaborative process of making Lynn and the Spirits of Inao a reality, and that’s a reward in and of itself.
If you’re interested in learning more, and seeing even more of the truly beautiful concept art, you can check out Bloomylight Studios’ website. It will make your Miyazaki-longing heart happy. The Kickstarter will be running until June 2, 2016.
Would you play this game? Would you live in this game? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Images: Bloomylight Studios
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He also wants to live in a Studio Ghibli world. Follow him on Twitter!
