Tesla INVENTORIUM plugs into Kickstarter

Written by Peter Mattsson — July 2, 2021 at 10:13

You could say that Serbian studio PAROBOT are ardent admirers of their countryman Nikola Tesla. Even after the award-winning animated short Tesla and the Lamplighter, followed by the animated movie Tesla: The Invention of Dreams and even a stage play, the developers were still not content and are now branching out into games with Tesla INVENTORIUM, a puzzle-platforming adventure that delves into Tesla's imagination to entertain while also teaching players about the man, his ideas, and his environmentally conscious ideals.

The story begins in the dark days of 1895, just after Tesla's New York lab burnt down, taking all his plans and prototypes with it. Not one to be kept down for long, especially if it meant losing out to his rival Thomas Edison, Tesla quickly sets about rebuilding the lab and recovering his ideas, and that's where we come in. You see, he has been drawing his inspiration from a world of imagination and whimsy known as the Inventorium, which is packed with past, present, and potential inventions, as well as curious creatures and traps. Cobbled together from an old tin can to aid him, Automaton the robot must now journey through the Inventorium to recover Tesla's designs and send back pictures of them via a special machine, while the man himself recreates them in the real world and fends off his opponents.

With its mechanical Maybugs and steampunk armoured birds, Tesla INVENTORIUM shows much of the quirky hand-crafted charm of games such as Amanita Design's Machinarium, though with two playable characters to alternately control throughout. Although limited in its abilities at first, Automaton is upgraded with new powers as players progress through the platform-based dream world, while Tesla puts his genius to work at home solving puzzles and deactivating machines sent to foil his efforts. In amongst the obvious fantastical elements on display, PAROBOT are seeking to bring attention to Tesla's ecological focus, such as his pioneering work on renewable energy and warnings against the use of fossil fuels. Along the way we will even get to meet real historical figures ranging from Mark Twain to Tesla's cat Machak, who helped him to discover electricity.

To fund this latest excursion into Tesla's world, PAROBOT have launched a Kickstarter campaign, aiming to raise US$6,900 by July 30th. If successful, they hope to bring Tesla INVENTORIUM to life for Windows, Mac, mobile devices and possibly Switch beginning in July 2023.