The Eternal Life of Goldman – Gamescom 2024 demo gameplay

Eight minutes of hand-drawn platforming action.

Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Weappy have released an eight-minute gameplay video of the hand-drawn side-scrolling platformer The Eternal Life of Goldman shown at Gamescom 2024 in August.

Here is an overview of the game, via THQ Nordic:

About
In this breathtaking platformer adventure, explore a vast hand-drawn Archipelago, inspired by ancient fables and depicted in classic frame-by-frame animation, and defeat a mysterious Deity.
A Tale With Hidden Depths
The Eternal Life of Goldman is a vibrant yet dark adventure that weaves together legends, fairy tales and myths. It takes the genre at an unusual angle and offers something unexpected at every turn.

You arrive at the Archipelago on a strange mission: to kill the Deity, a mystical creature that everyone talks about, but no one has seen. To find the Deity, you will have to delve deep into the many secrets these islands keep. You will discover a place marked by tragedy, and filled with eccentric characters and remarkable contrasts.
Upgrade your cane with new parts and unlock new abilities, to explore the hidden corners of the Archipelago and face incredible creatures.
Hand Crafted to the Smallest Detail
The Eternal Life of Goldman is the result of years of work by people who love and appreciate the same cartoons, comics and games that you do. We wanted to make an uncompromising 2D game of amazing beauty, so we went back to the genre’s roots and took the most difficult path possible – meticulously drawn, colored and animated by hand using classic frame-by-frame techniques. We didn’t cut any corners, and the results are worth it. In The Eternal Life of Goldman, no two rooms or landscapes are alike. Every place, every object, every character, every visual effect — everything is carefully planned and executed to the finest detail.
Remember how, when you were a child, you first saw your first 16-bit platformer and couldn’t believe your eyes? We want you to experience those feelings again—or maybe for the first time.
Tapping the Best of the Genre
Far from mindlessly relying on cliché and formula, The Eternal Life of Goldman turns the genre on its head. The game carefully includes everything we all love most about side-scrollers, across the various styles, trends and eras. And it leaves out all the frustrating stuff that doesn’t make sense and wastes time.
It’s a challenging platformer that demands precision, but it never devolves into a grueling exercise where you have to memorize and methodically execute an exact sequence of actions. The key to success is improvisation and ingenuity.
It’s a game that encourages exploration and will give you a sense of discovery—but it won’t have you backtracking in confusion after you gain each new ability or artifact. It’s impossible to spend much time wandering around in The Eternal Life of Goldman without doing anything interesting.
Finally, it’s a game with complex scenes, robust characters and a multi-layered story—but it never gets bogged down in thoughtful poses and feigned pretension. All the elements work to create an adventure that takes your breath away and breaks your heart.