Solo developer team Le Studio Imaginaire, based in France, has announced that although Pactus faltered on Kickstarter, the game will not be discontinued. Curious indie fans should expect another update in 2023, but it’s very likely that the expected launch for Q4 2023 will be delayed, possibly into 2024.
Pactus is a multiplayer-only puzzle game, where a magician and wendigo must escape a massive and creepy cathedral. Here’s the developer’s official tweet from today:
Pactus is another example of solo dev ingenuity and determination. It’s unfortunate that fans of the genre weren’t able to help the game reach its goal, but this little indie still has promise. The graphics reflect their budget, like so many solo dev games, and that may have deterred more casual gamers.
But Pactus is conceptually sound, and the premise is full of intriguing lore. Also, since Le Studio Imaginaire plans on continuing to work on the game, new features and more polishing should help its cause in the future.
The fact that Pactus also operates strictly as a puzzle game will definitely be useful. The game’s official Steam page mentions that each protagonist plays a unique role in solving each puzzle, creating asymmetrical gameplay, akin to something like Portal 2. If the puzzles are truly clever, that is generally more than enough for fans of the genre, however it may be presented.
For example, indie puzzle game Escape Academy succeed with a simple escape room hook, and just released new DLC last November. If Pactus can lean into its distinguishable flavors a bit more, incorporating more horror and fantasy, puzzle fans may be more intrigued. Horror and puzzles tend to pair nicely. Hopefully, new updates will open up a path to success for this burgeoning developer.
You can read more about Le Studio Imaginaire, Pactus, and other solo developers by checking out the rest of our news section.
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