Tribeca Games & Immersive Experience press preview day was held Thursday, June 8th 2023. A one-of-a-kind medium for storytelling, art, and innovation.
I got to attend the Tribeca Press Preview day for Games & Immersive Experience and test out playable demos of the upcoming featured games. This year’s Festival features 7 official Games selections that demonstrate potential in phenomenal storytelling and innovation through interactive experiences. Festival goers will be the first to experience a playable Games Gallery at Spring Studios, featuring demos for this year’s selections, which include: A Highland Song, Chants of Sennaar, Despelote, Goodbye Volcano High, Nightscape, Stray Gods, and The Expanse: A Telltale Series.
I got to play and experience each of these game selections, and also speak with some of the creators. Every single one of these games was intriguing, well- thought out and completely original. A game that completely caught my attention was The Expanse: A Telltale Series, which is the first IP announced by Telltale since the company reformed in 2019.
You can check my coverage below!
Check out all of the Tribeca Games Selections Below:
Tribeca Games at the Tribeca Festival celebrates the convergence of games, entertainment and culture, highlighting the storytelling, art and innovation of games. Tribeca champions every frontier in the art of storytelling, and video games are at the forefront of pushing narrative to ever greater heights.
Our advisory board of visionary leaders in both the film and games industry champion Tribeca’s power in shaping the future of games as a powerful form of storytelling.
A Highland Song (inkle Studios)
Narrative
Moira McKinnon has never seen the sea. Living with her mum in a small house in the Scottish Highlands, she receives a letter from her Uncle Hamish urging her to come to the coast. And so Moira runs away. Control Moira as she scrambles across the mountains, and through valleys filled with echoes, stories, ghosts and songs. Find maps that unlock hidden paths while collecting the stories of the hills… and of Moira’s past.
Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc / Focus Entertainment)
Animation, Art, Mystery, Narrative
The Peoples of the Tower no longer speak to each other. But it is said that one day, a Traveler will find the wisdom to break down the walls and restore the Balance. Explore an enthralling world in a colorful, poetic setting inspired by the myth of Babel. Travel the endless steps of a prodigious labyrinth and unveil the mysteries of this fascinating universe where ancient languages are both the lock and the key.
Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastián Valbuena, Gabe Cuzzillo, Ian Berman, Niall Tessier-Lavigne / Panic)
Documentary, Biography, Sports, Narrative
Run, pass, and dribble as eight year old Julián in this slice of life game all about football. Explore the streets and parks of Quito, set against the backdrop of Ecuador’s first qualifying run for the World Cup in 2001 and meet its community through funny emergent interactions.
Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP)
Animation, Drama, LGBTQIA+, Music, Narrative
Just Fang’s luck: they finally figure out what they want out of life, and now the world’s about to explode. In this story-driven, choice-based cinematic adventure game about personal growth, acceptance, and the power of community, what will you do at the end of an era? Goodbye Volcano High is a cinematic adventure game, a coming-of-age rhythm game, a hand-animated interactive cartoon, and a choice-based, narrative-driven, interactive movie experience.
Nightscape (Mezan Studios)
Action, Environmental, Narrative
When the sun mysteriously causes the stars to fall to earth rendering the sky completely dark, the world is thrown into chaos in this 2.5D atmospheric adventure game rooted in ancient Arabian stories. Layla, a lost stargazer, reluctantly embarks on a quest to restore the stars to their rightful place. Using her father’s magical astrolabe, she awakens the power of the stars as she explores the mysteries of both earth and sky.
Stray Gods (Summerfall Studios / Humble Games)
Drama, Music, Narrative
STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL
In a modern fantasy world, college dropout Grace is granted the power of a Muse – power she’ll need to find out the truth behind her predecessor’s death before time runs out. You’ll decide who Grace allies with, who she can trust, and who may betray her through original, fully interactive musical numbers & choice-based gameplay. Fully orchestrated and performed by an all-star cast, you’ll feel as though you’re right there on the stage.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series (Deck Nine / Telltale Games)
The Expanse: A Telltale Series serves as a prequel to the popular Amazon TV series and much of the book series. In The Expanse: The Telltale Series players take on the role of Camina Drummer (played by Cara Gee, the actress who portrays this fan-favorite character in the TV series), the leader of a ragtag scavenging crew on the hunt for a mysterious treasure on the edges of The Belt. Drummer will square off against mutinous crew members and a savage pirate captain, Toussaint, who forces Drummer to grapple with her own violent past. Ultimately, Drummer must sacrifice her personal ambitions and rediscover the larger purpose that she is fighting for.
IMMERSIVE
This year’s program features 13 VR, AR, XR and participatory experiences that push the technological boundaries of immersive storytelling, divided into two categories (Main Competition, New Voices)
- Main Competition:
- In Search of Time
- Kinfolk: Black Lands (interview below)
- Monstrorama
- Pixel Ripped 1978 (interview below)
- The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend (interview below)
- New Voices Competition:
Gotham Geek Girl 
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