Gamers, get excited. Indonesian game studio Agate is working on an intriguing project heavily inspired by Balinese culture titled Tirta, slated for a release in 2022 on PC and gaming consoles, including the upcoming PlayStation 5 (PS5).
For starters, imagine Zelda and Princess Mononoke, but in Bali. That’s how a studio executive, Cipto Adiguna, described Tirta to Virtual SEA earlier in August, as more details about the game became available this past week.
Here’s what we know so far: Tirta is an action-adventure game following the journey of a Priestess who is responsible for guarding a volcano. The story showcases the problem of corruption among mankind and its subsequent impacts of the environment; a premise so close to reality here in Indonesia.
It appears that the Priestess’ journey will also involve various sacred and ancient rituals, as the storytelling reportedly aims to showcase Balinese culture and make it more accessible to the international market. According to IGN Southeast Asia, Tirta is estimated for release sometime in 2022.
Tirta itself means water in Balinese language, and the element looks set to heavily feature as the source of power for the main character throughout the game. From the 30-second glimpse of Tirta we got to see from Agate 2020 Showreel, we can see the Priestess jumping and fighting small monsters and giant bosses from a third-person point of view. You can check out the clip below (Tirta’s feature starts on 0:58):
Gameplay-wise, Tirta is reportedly taking a bunch of cues from the Legend of Zelda series, while the man vs. nature theme appears to have been inspired by Studio Ghibli’s 1997 film, Princess Mononoke.
From what little we’ve seen, the premise of Balinese culture showcased in an adventure game through a gripping and realistic storytelling by Indonesian game developers seems promising enough to get us excited. But, of course, we’ll have to wait for the finished product for the true verdict. But do tell us Coconauts, does this game seem like something worth looking forward to?
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