Frontlist | Made-in-India Nintendo Switch Game Krystopia

Frontlist | Made-in-India Nintendo Switch Game Krystopia
on Mar 18, 2021

Pune-based Godspeed Games has partnered with Stockholm's Antler Interactive to bring adventure game Krystopia: A Puzzle Journey to the Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch release date for Krystopia: A Puzzle Journey is March 25, 2021. Krystopia on iOS, Android, and PC (via Steam) was developed by Antler Interactive. GodSpeed Games has handled the Nintendo Switch Development and will publish the title on the Nintendo eShop. Continuing our love for the quality indie games, we are happy to bring Krystopia for the players on Nintendo Switch, says Ranbeer Hora, Managing Director at GodSpeed Games. Krystopia is a visual treat to the fans who love to play the escape room-inspired puzzle adventure games. The story and the environments are beautifully crafted by the Antler Interactive team, who have great expertise in creating immersive games using latest in the technology. According to Hora, the Nintendo Switch release of Krytopia takes full advantage of the console's control options. The title is a perfect fit for touch controls, players can undock the system, pop off the Joy-Cons and play just like playing on any other tablet, he says. We also implemented the controls where the Right Joy-Con can be used like Wii Remote for pointer based control, while the Switch is in Tabletop Mode or Docked with the TV. Players have to place the Joy-Con down on a flat surface, then pick it up. And control the pointer on the screen with easy and subtle wrist movement. They can also re-centre the gyroscope with ‘+’ button on the Right Joy-Con. Hora tells IGN India that Krystopia on the Nintendo Switch is a port of the Steam version though it has more in common with the iOS and Android release. The game will also get an update post-release. [It] is using the Unity engine, he says. And it is a port from the Steam version. However, there is little difference between the versions across the platforms. And since the Switch version also allows gameplay with Touch (which I believe players will prefer), it comes close to a mobile version too...We are planning a patch after release where we will introduce more language support for the title. This isn't GodSpeed's first Nintendo Switch game either. The company has been working with international studios and publishers to bring their games to the Nintendo Switch and other consoles like Shaolin vs Wutang, Almightree: The Last Dreamer, Shakes on a Plane and The Innsmouth Case. While the Nintendo Switch or Nintendo’s own first-party exclusive games are not officially available in the country, the console has developed a rabid fan following and a vocal community around it. Sources at retail tell IGN India that despite price hikes and supply issues due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, India sale of the console have surpassed the PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S in 2020 with close to 100,000 sold by March 2021. A year prior, it was estimated that the Nintendo Switch had sold between 55,000 to 60,000 units in the nation lifetime to date. A near 100 percent increase in a year, particularly one fraught with the challenges it had is tremendous to say the least. When Nintendo decides to take India seriously is anyone’s guess. Industry insiders tell us that the current BIS policies are seen by it as a deterrent from entering the market. Odd when you consider that Sony and Microsoft have adhered to such rules just fine. How Nintendo decides to capitalise on its India fortunes and when it chooses to do so, will be interesting to see. Until then however, a more than efficient grey and parallel import market seems to be more than willing to cater to the needs of Indian gamers.