At WX, Wakefield over 50 games will be demoing, along with 400+ developers, game industry publishers, investors and platforms in attendance for GaMaYo 25! Join us on the 13th of November for a day full of demos and round tables.
This event is brought to you by Game Republic along with their Official Partners Barclays Games and Creative, Xsolla and Red Kite Games, with event sponsors Plus Accounting, Escape Technology, HP and AMD.
Today we are looking at ‘The Saplum Cradle’ which is confirmed to be at the event, from Devroom-Vantasia!
The Saplum Cradle by Devroom-Vantasia
What would be your description of your game?
The Saplum Cradle is a choose-your-own-adventure horror game about using the memories of the dead to explore lost civilisations.
How did development start? (Were there any key inspirations or ideas that drove you?)
The story of The Saplum Cradle is a story I’ve been wanting to tell for many years, inspired by a series of nightmares I had when I was 14-15. I actually went to learn Game Design at university specifically so that I could make this game (though it wasn’t my initial plan for this to be my first commercial project – that was a happy accident). I spent my whole time at uni bouncing around different prototypes for the game, but it wasn’t until January of 2025 that I finally found a concept I was happy with. What particularly inspired me for this build was an indie horror game named “Gestalt: The Fifth Day” by Kinjako, which I’d bought myself on a whim for Christmas. I enjoyed the game so much that I began working on “Project Dreamcatcher” – the internal title for this game – about 4 hours after I got the true ending for Gestalt’s DLC. That game’s influence on mine is very obvious if you’ve played it.
Tell us about the team behind the game!
It’s just me doing most of it! But I’m not much of an artist so all the 2D art, 3D models, sounds, and music are made by other people – some of whom have worked on previous projects with me. I handle the direction, writing, design, programming, spritework, and essentially everything else.
What kind of experiences do you hope to bring players?
I hope to bring an experience that elicits a sense of hope and optimism in players. I want it to be a game which stresses that even at your lowest, and even in the worst circumstances possible, that you can fight to find happiness for yourself and others.
In 10 words or less, highlight the appeal of the game!
Exploring, uncovering, and surviving the remnants of dead worlds.
Any links to access/wishlist the game?
Itch: https://devroom-vantasia.itch.io/the-saplum-cradle-vertical-slice
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