Hey, hey everyone! I’m Adam Volker, Creative Director of Flight School Studio, the team behind the 2019 game Creature in the Well, a hack-and-slash pinball-inspired dungeon robot… or “pinbrawler” as we all lovingly called it. .
Posted by MWM Interactive, our next title, Stonefly, a mech adventure game launches today (woohoo!)
At Flight School Studio, we love to create things that are a bit weird and different. Storytelling and art are things we love and we’re always trying new approaches to games to see what’s fun and exciting. Stonefly is definitely our next iteration to explore these ideas.
You play as Annika Stonefly, a bright but naive young inventor who embarks on her own journey after disappointing her father. The Stonefly family run the local repair shop, work on mechs, and due to Annika’s neglect, her father’s prized platform, Chrysa, is stolen by a thief in the middle of the night. Chasing the thief, Annika discovers a large fantasy world, which inspires her to invent new mechanical abilities, all of which come in handy when she encounters buggos in the wild.
Invent a world
Annika’s story was inspired by the journey many of us have made on the development team. Sometimes taking on a big trip can be crippling, and Annika not knowing everything she’s about to take is exactly what she needs to get started. Her determination and frankness are truly inspiring. As she ventures into the woods, she takes notes about people she meets, creatures and wildlife. She uses all of this as inspiration and she channels that creativity into upgrades and abilities for her robot. It is in her curiosity that she finds knowledge.
In the world of Stonefly, tiny people travel in mechs that slide with the wind and are made up of a few evolving components: the hull, legs and antenna. Annika is no stranger to how these robots work and is constantly improving them as you venture into the game. Depending on how you play, you will be encouraging Ann to invent wind abilities, improve the robot’s utilities. or find inspiration for cosmetic enhancements hidden around the world.
For example, after being slowed down over and over again by Silky Worm Grease, Annika invents a similar ability for her robot that causes bugs to move slowly while she collects the loot. And, for all the fashionistas, you can also scan elements in the environment to change the color of your rig, or even create your own custom color scheme.
Slug it out or motherfucker
Gathering resources to complete these upgrades is where Stonefly gets intense. In the world, there are bugs that are hungry for the same resources that you need. To harvest minerals like Limodot and Fawnicle, you will need to hunt insects so you can surrender and collect the loot. Bug encounters inspire Annika to create new mechanical inventions so that throughout the game you not only get stronger, but also develop new strategies to deal with bugs and get minerals before they do. .
Speaking of bugs, each type of bug will require a slightly different defense and engagement strategy. They take inspiration from everything from slugs to rhinos (seriously check out the horned beetle animation and design). For example, at first many bugs you encounter will crawl on the ground, but Star Spiders fly high in the air, making it difficult to gain an aerial advantage. You’ll have to dodge their spinning defense and time your moves just to stun them, then chase them away. With advanced tactical strategy, you can even pit bugs against each other. Each encounter will require you to skillfully use your abilities and intelligence.
And, keep in mind that bugs won’t want to attack you unless minerals are present and you are a threat – that’s when they’ll get aggressive. Use it to your advantage if you want to take a moment to fix it or if you decide you’re not at all interested in facing them.
Speaking of plans, empty your calendar because Stonefly is coming today at PlayStation Store.
