Packed up and ready to leave, but not going anywhere – An insight into the war Ukraine from an indie game studio
It’s hard to believe that as the global pandemic quiets, another crisis, the first major armed conflict in Europe in years, rears its head. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dominated news outlets for the last few weeks, even before any fighting broke out. We were given the opportunity to speak to someone living in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv at the end of the first supposed ceasefire in the region. The day played out very differently than it should have, with the civilian evacuation corridor closing quickly due to aggressive advancements and gunfire from Russian forces.
When we spoke to Alex, who runs video game studio Weasel Token with his partner Tay, it was impossible to avoid discussing the day’s events. While Russia’s actions may have come as a surprise to most of the world, they didn’t to Ukrainians. Alex had an air of exhaustion at the fact that Russian forces used this as an opportunity to gain new ground and advance on Ukrainian territory, bringing the ceasefire to an abrupt end and costing many innocent lives.
Back when day-to-day life was normal, Alex and Tay were working on their game, Puzzles for Clef. They’ve been making games together since 2016, primarily for smartphones. To escape being forced into making a toxic pay-to-win title, they set their sights on a PC release. After working on the upcoming title, Puzzles for Clef, in their spare time, publisher Freedom Games offered them a deal. Now, they can work on this passion project as their day job.
Puzzles for Clef is a puzzle game with no combat, based purely on the exploration of a single world. Players must explore floating islands and solve puzzles to ring bells. Some bells are easy to find, you’ve just got to work your way through the island’s
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