This year at the Day Of The Devs showcase, we got to see a glimpse of a new game called Birth by solo developer Madison Karrh. The hand-drawn art style immediately caught my eye, with characters who lack eyes. Some people may find the art a little creepy, but honestly I find it so charming. I’m reminded of several real-life friends who are into taxidermy and oddities showcases, spending most of their days doodling spooky creature drawings in hipster coffee shops. So Birth‘s art style takes me to a place of comfort and familiarity.
Birth tells the tale of someone moving to a new city, surrounded by people and places they don’t know. Your goal is to work through those anxieties by collecting bones and organs to create yourself a friend. To gather these pieces, you’ll travel the city to places like cafés, libraries, and apartments, solving puzzles that will also give you more information on the inhabitants around you.
The gameplay has a casual point-and-click adventure style with hidden-object elements. For example, in one puzzle you will be selecting different-sized fish and placing them in the correct space in a fish tank, while in another you’ll scroll over flower pedals to peek behind them to find the objective item. Along the way there are hidden coins you can collect to unlock secret content.
It’s a peaceful and chill-looking game, a comfortable place to dive into with a cup of coffee (or tea) to escape the real world for a bit, while working your way through the “new town” you are dropped into.
If you look into Madison Karrh’s previous releases, you’ll find a 2021 game called Landlord of the Woods, as well as a 2019 game called Whimsey. Both have a similar feel to Birth, with hand-drawn point-and-click gameplay and a “creepy,” surreal aesthetic. Looking at these two, you can see the development of Madison’s art progress over time. I absolutely recommend checking these two games out and showing Madison some support.
As of the time of this writing, Birth is set to release in autumn of 2022 on Steam. While you’re adding that to your Steam wishlist, you can pick up Landlord of the Woods for a dollar, and download Whimsey for free!
