2.5D pixel art narrative adventure game Rusty Winter announced for PC

Publisher Astrolabe Games and solo developer Ino Kinwen have announced Rusty Winter, a 2.5D pixel art narrative-focused adventure game coming to PC via Steam. A release date was not announced.

Rusty Winter features pixel art, original music, animated cutscenes, and a variety of nostalgic minigames. Players become a self-made detective in a world where reality and the surreal intertwine, diving into a series of missing person cases and uncovering hidden truths within the city.

Here is an overview of the game, via Astrolabe Games:

About

Rusty Winter is a game that is inspired by classic hard-boiled detective stories and good old urban legends. Set against the cold, industrial backdrop of the City of Ge’shan—a place echoing the faded glory of once-thriving industrial towns—the narrative unfolds as a romantic yet serious story infused with dark undertones and surreal twists. Using a delicate, richly-detailed pixel art style, the game brings every shadowed alley and forgotten corner of Ge’shan to life, as the protagonist unravel its strange mysteries one clue at a time.

The story revolves around a complex missing person case. Meet a cast of characters as diverse and worn as the city itself, and chase down leads that blurs the boundaries between reality and the paranormal. Uncover urban legends, and maybe even dive into some absurd extraterrestrial tales. Original music, vivid animations, and nostalgic mini-games enrich the journey across a decaying town on the brink of change. Along the way, witness the struggles of the townsfolk, catching glimpses of transformation—and perhaps even redemption.

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Setting: City of Ge’shan, 2016

Late 2016, City of Ge’Shan—a northern industrial hub that has seen better days—is shrouded in mystery due to a series of unsettling disappearances. The story follows a self-made underdog detective driven by the search for a missing loved one, navigating shadowed streets, relying solely on instincts and determination in order to uncover the truth.

Explore many meticulously-crafted locations where realism intertwines with the surreal. Each scene is designed to draw deeper into the narrative, immersing in moments where time seems to stand still, and where memories resurface.

Urban Legend: The Myth of the “Land Beneath“

For many years, whispers have long circulated through Ge’shan about the Anunnaki—ancient celestial beings who once visited Earth and left behind a hidden relic in the icy reaches of the far north.

Locals speak of the “Land Beneath,” it surely isn’t about wealth or eternal life; it’s a key—a gateway to another world, an ultra-advanced utopia beyond human understanding. The devoted ones hold onto the belief that one day, the Anunnaki WILL RETURN.

As the city’s mysteries are unraveled, the line between the legend and reality itself begins to blur, and the myth of the Land Beneath becomes entwined with the detective’s own quest.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

English

Japanese

Simplified Chinese