Verdant

Set in a post-apocalyptic 1980s, Verdant is a survival adventure featuring a protagonist, named Sprout, who can manipulate nature’s life force with his plant-like arm. Developer Tiny Roar aims to reimagine the survival genre’s overwhelming aspects, citing the ample HUD elements often littering screens, by communicating player statuses through animation and sound. While Verdant is meant to host a challenging environment, the studio wants players to pause and appreciate the beauty of the lush, overgrown cityscape. Whether exploring by foot or motorbike, you encounter all sorts of preternatural fauna, often acting as the catalyst for conflicting moral decisions.

Sprout’s magical prosthetic has an innate connection to the world, according to game director Maurice Alain.

“We don’t want to promise too much at this stage of development, but [...] the arm will be yet another twist on the survival genre, as it will work like a resource management system with a moral codex,” Alain says. “The petals on Sprout’s arm show how full of life essence he is.