In collaboration with UNIAT, the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) presented the second edition of Pitch FICGames, which seeks to expose and support the talent of animators, screenwriters, programmers and other industry professionals, proposing itself as a factor of change to traditional forms of storytelling.
Representatives of five projects under development, in a presentation of maximum 7 minutes, presented the strengths of their proposals, the narrative they address, the expectations they have for their projects and also the needs they need to meet to distribute, improve and complete their projects. These were:
- Deepression
- Hapervil
- Heart of Artemis
- Mindaro
- 2 Mages 2 Manus
During the presentation ceremony, the attendees were informed that one of the most important factors in choosing the participants of this edition was the narrative weight within their videogames.
The first project to be presented was Mindaro by Burning Boat Studios, which focuses on genres such as fantasy and horror. When talking about the gameplay features, they emphasized the importance of player-player interaction, highlighting that, although it is designed to be played individually, the collective experience within the game is a key part of its interactive experience.
Next, the project Heart of Artemis by Camacebra Games was presented. A rhythm and adventure game in which music is fundamental. The narrative combines elements of the daily experience of young people in order to generate a sense of belonging and identity. Within its universe coexist characters from Greek mythology and others. Its pixel art design mixed with 2D art and the accessibility it proposes in terms of gameplay to attract non-experienced players stand out.
In third place came 2 mages 2 manus, created by 10 LeafStudio. It is a locally-paced cooperative game that, over a period of 12 to 14 hours, tells a story about human connection. Its narrative line features two protagonists who share the characteristic of having an amputated arm; an inherent factor to achieve one-handed gameplay. It proposes a system of mirror controls, so they aspire to distribute it for Nintendo Switch consoles.
Deepression, by Heskil Studio, caused great impact from the name. It is an interactive short film that presents the story of Alberto, a 28-year-old Mexican artist who is going through emotional problems that stem from his social and cultural context. It was clear the social interest that drives the development of this project, for which the developers have worked together with specialized psychiatric centers, with the aim of taking it to media and associations.
Finally, Anvia Studio presented the project Haperevil, of the survival and horror genre. The story begins with the disappearance of the mother and brother of one of the main characters. Being a project that has been in development for more than 8 years, they highlighted the difficulties of video game development in Mexico. Likewise, they mentioned that, due to the time, it does not have a totally defined visual style. Even so, it maintains the characteristics and textures of stop motion.
After a deliberation that took between 10 and 15 minutes, the members of the jury announced the winning projects. These were the results:
- Pablo Mondragón and Secuencia Estratégica awarded Deepression.
- 2 Marges 2 Manus received awards from Shalala Studio and UNIAT.
- Heart of Artemis was chosen by Arcella Sound.
- Haperevil was also honored by UNIAT.
- WACOM awarded prizes to Heart of Artemis and 2 Marges 2 Manus.