Dr Livingstone, I Presume?

Factsheet

Game: Dr Livingstone, I Presume?
Developer: Vulpesoft
Based in Wrocław, Poland

Release date: 20.05.2021

Dr Livingstone Website:
https://livingstone-game.com

Steam: Wishlist now!

Press / Business contact:
[email protected]

Social:
twitter.com/Livi_TheGame
facebook.com/drlivingstonegame
discord.gg/zjPJQpW
instagram.com/livingstone_game

Phone:
COMPANY_PHONE

Dr. Livingstone, I presume? is a first-person puzzle game in which the player travels through the rooms of David Livingsotne's house and solves hidden puzzles to find his missing friend. Each of the puzzles is grown into the surroundings of a slightly bizarre house, and the complete absence of magic presents the player with additional challenges. It is a puzzle game captivating with the picturesque scenery of an African home - you follow in the footsteps of a traveler who influenced the history of Africa. Nothing is accidental, and every element in the game has its historical justification. Thanks to hand-painted textures, a journey through Livingstone's house will feel like a journey through a painted masterpiece. The main gameplay is to interact with puzzles. And believe us - puzzles in Dr Livingstone, I Presume? will pamper your mind.

Dr Livingstone, I Presume?

Story

Dr Livingstone, I Presume? is a first-person perspective logic game based on historical events of African explorers in the XIXth century. The story of David Livingstone's disappearance in Africa and a journalist Henry Stanley who was sent to find him is so unbelievable, that even our game designer was deeply surprised that it'd really happened. The player takes the role of Henry Stanley. When the protagonist arrives at Ujiji and enters Dr Livingstone's house is when the game begins. But, surprisingly it's not the first time Stanley is present in this house. We took a chance to show the after story of the historical meeting in Ujiji - dying Livingstone and Stanley who rushes back to his friend to have a chance to say goodbye. We decided to create the Scottish-African fusion in the art to highlight the history of dr Livingstone, his early years in England, travels to Africa, fame and great struggles.

Concept

The main concept of the game is, how we like to call it, "reversed escape room". The player is encouraged to get deeper into the house, not to escape it. All rooms are also not so ordinary. We lean strongly towards the idea of a strange house by giving extra unusual twists to the interiors. It's visible in decorations, furniture and objects, that are believable, but somehow extraordinary. And, what may be less ordinary in a "normal" house, rooms are equipped with puzzles to solve. What we aim for in this part is to blend the puzzles with the environment as much as possible. To achieve this all puzzles are designed precisely for a specific room, using object and mechanics that can actually appear in such room. All these treatments are aimed at getting a sense of the game as the whole story, a plot that finally finds a solution, logically connected events. As opposed to simple travelling from one riddle to another.

Gameplay

Dr Livingstone, I Presume? combines two types of gameplay - 3D exploration and 2,5D puzzle solving. Both in one game. We wanted to ensure the "walking simulator" kind of feeling merged with classic mechanics of moving sliders, pushing buttons and rotating handles. The player can look inside cabinets, read notes, look at objects that catch his or her attention in classic FPP mode. But special interaction with puzzles, even though it's still with 3D objects, allows the player to move the cursor in 2D space. This procedure gave our designers space for more complex and interesting puzzles while still keeping the concept of puzzles merged with the environment.

Art

The game art style is a stylized low poly. This choice was dictated by the desire to ensure timelessness and uniqueness. In the art, we aim for a soft fusion of African art, colours, music and culture, of victorian Scotland from Livingstone's childhood and youth and of accents associated with great geographical discoveries, travel and exploration. Furniture, objects and puzzles are made with sharp edges, no right angles and gentle brush strokes. We consciously gave up the use of normal maps, instead, 3D graphic artists carve decorative elements by hand. Almost all textures are also hand-painted, which creates an absolutely artistic atmosphere. The player has the impression that he is moving inside a small work of art. The whole is complemented by sounds that our sound designer composes individually for each puzzle.

Company

Dr. Livingstone, I presume? is the first production of the Polish studio Vulpesoft, created by enthusiasts who managed to form one team. Based on the strong values that "nothing great comes easy", we work hard to deliver the best gaming experience you can dream of.

Team

Kamil Mówiński
Executive Producer / Lead Programmer

Agata Leś
Creative Director / Programmer

Damian Frycz
Lead Game Designer / QA Specialist

Paweł Ruszkowski
Lead Concept Artist / Level Designer

Patryk Suchański
3D Artist / Animator

Kamil Suyon Keing
Narrative / Game Designer

Weronika Okoń-Żuk
PR / Community Manager

Jan Woźniak
Sound Designer

Hipolit Woźniak
Composer

Contact

Inquiries
[email protected]

Twitter
http://twitter.com/Livi_TheGame

Facebook
http://facebook.com/drlivingstonegame