The Secret of Retropolis to be divulged this summer

Written by Jack Allin — March 9, 2021 at 10:17

When you think of film noir, your first association probably isn't "futuristic VR robot mystery," but that's exactly what we'll be getting later this year in indie Israeli developer Peanut Button's upcoming The Secret of Retropolis.

Mankind has long since disappeared by the time this game begins. All that's left in the city of Retropolis is a civilization of robots who were "left behind to keep the human past alive." Players control Philip Log, an "ex-cop and a somewhat functioning alcoholic robot." Your new case is to get back a precious gem stolen from a "famous robotic movie star, Jenny Montage," by her husband. It sounds straightforward enough, but "very soon Philip will find himself uncovering the secrets behind a conspiracy that puts the very fate of Retropolis in jeopardy."

Despite its advanced setting and the fact that it makes use of the latest virtual reality technology, The Secret of Retropolis is very much a noir-tinged crime mystery and classic-styled point-and-click adventure at heart. Played seated and intuitively controlled from a first-machine perspective, the game features an original score and a "sprawling retro-futuristic cityscape" presented in a distinctive art style in which "all environments, items and characters in the game were hand drawn and animated in VR." Players can expect to meet a "cast of funny characters" along the way, brought to life by an "ensemble of voice actors." There will be "quirky puzzles" to solve as well, inspired by the LucasArts classics of yore, but here you'll have access to "a flying inventory and stretchy spring hands that extend the player's reach" to help you achieve your objectives. 

There is no firm release date just yet, but The Secret of Retropolis is on track to launch on SteamVR and the Oculus Store for Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality sometime this summer, with a Quest version to follow.