Giant Sparrow, devs of critically acclaimed exploration game What Remains Of Edith Finch, has revealed their next game. Studio founder Ian Dallas has detailed what players can expect in this upcoming game about the horror and wonders of biology.
What Remains Of Edith Finch Dev Reveals Project “Heron”
Fantastical Animals Will “Feel Gross” In This Game
Seven years after releasing What Remains of Edith Finch, developer Giant Sparrow has finally revealed its next game, currently codenamed "Heron." Per Giant Sparrow's official website, Heron's focus is on "exploring the wonders and horrors of biology," where players step in the shoes of a field biologist studying both mundane and fantastical urban wildlife. It is currently in early development and yet to be officially announced.
"We're drawing inspiration from places like Ico, Windosill, Spirited Away, and David Attenborough nature documentaries, along with the spirit of early animators like Winsor McCay and Walt Disney who used (for the time) cutting edge technology to build something that didn't feel technical at all but instead felt weirdly alive," Giant Sparrow said.
Speaking to The New York Times in an interview, creative director and studio founder Ian Dallas additionally revealed that Heron offers players a "collection of short stories" about the whimsy of biology and fantasy creatures. "When we started adding a few slightly goofy elements, that led us to some stranger and more interesting places," Dallas shared, additionally remarking that Giant Sparrow's goal is to "call out just how weird biology is" where the game's animals "feel gross."
Dallas also remarked that the project hinges on "how many bizarre things are going on around us all the time that we aren’t really aware of or thinking about." The devs' intention is for players to "feel a push and pull between themselves and the game world," he added. But, as whimsy as it sounds, DNA traces of What Remains of Edith Finch will be present in codename Heron, so players can expect Giant Sparrow's next game to adopt a similar dark, disconcerting tone. "Hopefully, this game is going to be one of the stranger games that people have experienced. I’m doing everything I can to make it that way," Dallas said.
"Scary can also be boring," Dallas added, however, according to The New York Times. He also remarked how challenging it is for the studio to design the gameplay system around their premise which, with how it's currently planned, is expected to feature "like a photographing mini game, or like collecting 10 ladybugs or whatever."
Dallas also shared how Heron should "feel more exploratory and playful," incorporating realistic elements such as biological decay. He further noted that the studio wants to capture how mesmerizing animal life is. "What we have slowly found our way to is a game where animals feel gross and maybe you have this visceral reaction to, in the way that like, when a caterpillar walks over your finger there’s something about all those legs moving that’s really disturbing but also fascinating," Dallas said.
As the project is still in early development, Giant Sparrow has yet to confirm Heron's release date and platforms, with the studio noting that further announcements can be expected when they are prepared to show more.
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