Mistaken Visions and Game If You Are are pleased to announce a new partnership to launch ambitious indie game The Piano this Spring.
Five years in the making, The Piano fuses traditional survival horror with noir-style murder mystery to create an unsettling and riveting indie adventure.
The game was originally slated for release early in 2017 but, in response to feedback from testers, creator Jonathan Stemmildt opted to delay the game and has been working away in silence over the past year. Now, a teaser trailer has been unveiled, along with a set of brand new screenshots showcasing the many improvements made since last January.
To launch the game, Mistaken Visions have partnered with indie game consultancy Game If You Are. As a result of the partnership, the game will now feature a fully voice acted cast of characters — with recording taking place at present. Game If You Are’s director Lewis Denby — co-creator of critically acclaimed adventure game Richard & Alice — joins The Piano team as producer.
Mistaken Visions’ Jonathan Stemmildt, creator of The Piano, said: “Five years ago I had the idea of making a horror game that wasn’t just about the scares, but which featured a deep and personal story that players could become emotionally invested in. It was my first game and I never really expected much to come of it – but suddenly, something I dreamed about for years is becoming reality, and time is just flying by. It feels great!”
Lewis Denby said: “I first discovered The Piano 18 months ago. When Jonathan sent me an early demo, I found a game that, while rough around the edges, had an atmosphere and personality unlike anything I’d ever played before — and since then, Jonathan and I have kept collaborating on occasion, slowly nudging it towards completion.”
He added: “I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to partner up in a more official capacity. It’s been great working together, and I think the results are already speaking for themselves. Together we’ve taken Mistaken Visions’ already extraordinary work and started adding that extra layer of polish. The voice acting in particular has really lifted the experience — but it helps that the game itself was already so creative and captivating!”
The Piano will release for PC via Steam this Spring.
About The Piano
Born to an American father and a French mother in the aftermath of the Great War, John Barnerway lived in the shadow of his three brothers. George, Louis and Valentine were renowned pianists – but when John is accused of their murders, he finds himself at the centre of a media witch-hunt that sees him traversing the lonely streets of Paris in search of answers.
Part traditional survival horror, part story-driven adventure, and part noir-influenced murder mystery, The Piano is an unsettling and riveting indie game more than five years in the making.
Features
- True psychological horror: delve into the darkest corners of John’s mind
- Gather clues and solve puzzles in search of answers
- Evade terrifying foes that stalk the empty streets of Paris
- Piece together a fragmented story to uncover the truth
- A noir-influenced aesthetic, with heavily stylised visuals
- Immersive soundtrack and full voice acting
About Mistaken Visions
Led by designer Jonathan Stemmildt, Mistaken Visions is a small indie game development collective based in Hamburg, Germany. The Piano is its first game.
About Game If You Are
Game If You Are is an indie game consultancy based in London, UK, which helps indie studios with PR, marketing and production needs. Their small team is led by Lewis Denby – a former games journalist who’s publicised and produced more than a hundred titles, and was named as part of MCV’s 2018 ’30 Under 30′ list. You can find out more on their website, gameifyouare.com.
