Small is strong in “Muri: Wildwoods”
Updated 13.21 | Published 13.17
“Muri: Wildwoods” is being developed by the Skövde-based studio Speldosa Interactive, which is making its first major game.
The game is about a little mouse who goes to a polluted island to clean it up and save the cute creatures that live there.
– Many who play our game say that it is calm and relaxing, but also that it arouses curiosity, says studio manager Ellinor Bergman to Aftonbladet.
At the office of the Speldosa Interactive studio in one of the country’s many gaming cities, Skövdea bunch of developers sit down and create the game “Muri: Wildwoods”, a cute platform game about washing clean a polluted world.
The game is, among other things, inspired by the animated films of Japanese Studio Ghibli, with films such as “Spirited Away”, “Nausicaa from the Valley of the Wind” and “Princess Mononoke”.
– We want to achieve the feeling of watching one of their films. It should be relaxing, interesting and maybe make you think a little, says one of the studio’s founders, Ellinor Bergman, to Aftonbladet.
Small is strong
In “Muri: Wildwoods” you play as Pelle, a small mouse creature who works as a cleaner. When he arrives on a polluted island, he decides to wash it clean and save the many cute creatures that call it home.
– One message we wanted to convey is that no matter how small you are, you can make a big difference. Pelle is very small and really just runs around splashing water here and there. But because of that, the environment and hopefully the whole island is restored. That and an environmental mindset is what we wanted to convey to the player, she says.
From the beginning, the project was somewhat larger than what it is today and was described as a mix of “Powerwash Simulator” and the PS2 classic “Shadow of the Colossus”.
– It would be about washing colossal monsters instead of killing them. We had a concept that worked, but realized it was too big a project for us. Now it is more “Powerwash” and also “Super Mario Sunshine” that are sources of inspiration.
A cute game in a dark world
“Muri: Wildwoods” is described as a so-called “cozy game”, i.e. a cozy game without stress and less focus on violence. The genre was popularized after the hit “Stardew Valley” from 2016 and has since become huge.
– It shouldn’t be such a big challenge. Anyone should be able to play it and you should be able to be very relaxed.
When the studio showed the game at various fairs, they also noticed that there are a lot of children and families with children who want to play.
– So we have tried to keep the threshold low, so that even those who do not have much experience in games can play. Then I also think that the graphic style with pastel colors and soft shapes is also attractive.
Why do you think this type of game is popular today?
– I think in part that game developers have started to realize that the market for women has started to increase in the last 5-10 years. But I also think it may have something to do with the world situation.
– When things are a bit more messy in the world, you might want to consume more calm and happy stuff. After the pandemic and a lot of war, you don’t want to think about dark things when you sit down and play. Then you want some kind of escape from reality, I think.
Popular on Steam
The game has been added to over 40,000 wishlists on Steam, with a 98 percent positive reaction to the demo version out there.
– It has been received very well. The players love the characters and the animals. When you watch someone play, they really react the most when they get to pet the little creatures.
– Then the positive reception can make it a little difficult. You want to know what they think is difficult or doesn’t really work. But the players have been quite good at bringing things up, such as the fact that you could feel a bit lonely, for example.
The loneliness is something they have found a solution to. In the game there is a chat where Pelle and his colleagues talk to each other.
– Many people like that it is quite unique that you have a small Discord chat in the background. It should feel like you’re actually in a group of friends. We also needed something that can tell us more about the world.
“Muri: Wildwoods” currently has no publisher, so Speldosa Interactive also helps with other games to “make money and survive”. Among other things, they have worked on the hit “Esoteric Ebb”, which was also developed in Skövde.
When do you plan to release the game?
– When we get a publisher, we can probably spend more time on development. In any case, we think within a year. It is not several years away, but now it is probably only months until it is released.
