Description

EMUUROM ("eh-moo-rom") is an upcoming nonviolent creature-scanning exploration platformer, where you document an ancient paradise before it's lost forever. You are MAIRE ("my-rhe"), a red-haired retrobiologist who's trapped herself in an unknown world, inhabited by mostly peaceful creatures called EMUUROM. Equipped with a data-gathering SCANNER BEAM, you study the behaviour of the EMUUROM creatures and use the gained knowledge to create new paths forward. Slowly, the machinations of the mythic forest sprites begin to unfold.

History

EMUUROM is created with the TIC-80 fantasy console, an engine with idiosyncratic retro restrictions. EMUUROM is the first TIC-80 game on Steam, and it started its life as a jam game for the Fantasy Console jam 3 in early 2018. The first post-jam demo with a refined concept was released on Itch.io in early 2020, and later that year EMUUROM was a part of the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. A new, polished demo was released on Steam in August 2021, and it participated in the Steam Next Fest in October. Ever since, the demo has received updates on Itch and Steam as the game has evolved, and I've documented the development process in my devlog on Itch. In 2023, EMUUROM was featured in the Busan Indie Connect festival, Cerebral Puzzle Showcase, Games Gathering 2023 Kyiv and DreamHack Beyond Summer Indie Showcase.

Features

  • Emphasis on exploration and discovery: Explore a dense, interconnected land brimming with surprises around every corner
  • No hand-holding: It's up to your own wits to figure out the workings of the world
  • Level up your brain: There are no power-ups, so you have to utilize the systemic behaviour of the EMUUROM creatures to get around!
  • Past findings always at your fingertips: Document your findings to the EMUUDEX!
  • I've heard people have really liked the chiptune soundtrack?!
  • At least 10 hours of gameplay (depends on how quickly you figure things out...)

Videos

Story trailer 2022 — YouTube

Trailer 2021 — YouTube

Gameplay video (no commentary) — YouTube

Images

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maire-big
maire
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Selected Articles

  • EMUUROM brought me back to the golden age of indie Flash games – it's a beautifully crafted, creative, exploration-focused experience full of secrets and cozy feelings.
    Obskyr, Comment on Itch.io
  • The energy of the game is certainly different from other titles. Cozier and inquisitive, it appeals to a more academic mindset that adores the surprise that video games can deliver. It's a medium that can be anything that you can possibly fathom. Emuurom embodies this at its core
    The Visualist's Veranda, Thoughts on Emuurom (Steam Next Fest 2022 Demo)
  • This is actually one of my most anticipated games out of like, all of them. [...] There are so many metroidvanias out there that feel like they're going down a checklist, and EMUUROM feels like something really fresh. [It] makes me feel like I can still be excited about video games.
    kubrow_egg, Comments on Reddit
  • It's a very relaxing, birdwatching-esque vibe at times [...]. I am more than excited to see EMUUROM's completion.
    The Entity, The Entity's EMUUROM demo review
  • EMUUROM from Borbware has got to be one of our most anticipated indie games! This game is just oozing with retro gaming goodness.
    Pursuing Pixels, A post on Twitter
  • it's literally for the people who go into the journal feature of creatures in games and just spend hours there
    CheshireCreeper, Comment on Itch.io

About Borbware

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I am Borb. I make dreamy little broken worlds.
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More information on Borbware, our logo & relevant media are available here.