Mika and The Witch's Mountain News

Hey!

The development of Mika and the Witch's Mountain is starting its final stage and the team is very focused on the last details and fixes before moving on to localization and porting.

In the meantime, here's what we have for the April’s update:

[h3]New cinematic[/h3]
Here is the last part of the cinematic we have been working on together with our colleagues at Alkimia Studio:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

This fragment is shrouded in mystery and we are aware that you will have many questions, as not much has been shown about this character.

For those of you who have played the studio's previous games, you may be familiar with this Ank!

[h3]Popularity Contest[/h3]
The release of Mika and the Witch's Mountain is getting closer, so we thought it was a good idea to introduce you to the other characters you will meet during your adventure (avoiding spoilers) in a different way: with a popularity contest!



You can find the character matches and vote for your favorite on our Discord server, and if you want to know more about them you can check out the mini character introductions we’re sharing on Twitter/X:

• More about Mün
• More about Allegra

See you next month with some exciting news!

One more development update, one step closer to the launch!

Here’s a summary of what we’re talking about today:

• New cinematic: second fragment
  
• Packages: how to (not) break, wet or mess
  
• Tarot cards ingame: gotta find em all!
  
• OST: Mark Sparling x Adrian Berenguer collab
  

[h3]New cinematic: second fragment[/h3]

Here you have some new frames of the new cinematic that our friends from Alkimia Animation Studio are preparing for Mika and the Witch's Mountain. https://www.alkimiastudio.com/

As you know these new animations will support some parts of the gameplay to enrich your game experience.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

It looks like Greff is having some trouble carrying all those packages, he sure could use the help of a certain little witch and her magic broom!


[h3]Packages: how to (not) break, wet or mess[/h3]
Good news: all the deliveries of the critical path of the game are proudly implemented and tested.

Also bad news: for those who thought Mika and the Witch's Mountain would be as simple as carrying packages back and forth without worry or difficulty, there’s more!



Not only are you going to have to find the recipients of the packages being the newcomer to the Island of the Winds, but you're going to have to be careful not to break them or get them wet - you're even going to have limited time to do so in some cases!

But it's going to be fun, promise! Of course, for those of you who want to have your delivery card full of positive ratings (green stamps) you may need to repeat a few deliveries.


[h3]Tarot cards ingame: gotta find em all![/h3]
Another feature of the game successfully implemented and tested are the tarot cards, which you will be able to collect inside the game...but we’re not going to give more details!

We will only say that you will have to go all over the island to get them, which means that you will have to improve your broom to the maximum.



Another bad news is that some of you might want to get the tarot cards in physical form after playing Mika and the Witch's Mountain. Sorry! haha


[h3]OST: Mark Sparling x Adrian Berenguer collab[/h3]
It’s treat time! One of the many stretch goals promised on the Kickstarter campaign is completed: the special song composed by Mark Sparling and Adrian Berenguer is done!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As you may know, Adrian Berenguer work is present in previous Chibig’s games and A Short Hike is one of the biggest inspirations for Mika and the Witch’s Mountain, so this collab is something really special to us.

It was an honor to have such a unique piece in the game OST, hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do!



A pretty long update, sorry! See you next month with more new about Mika and the Witch’s Mountain development.

Fly high!

Hey everyone!

Mika's journey through major 2024 events has begun and it has begun in style!



[h3]Day of the Devs 2024[/h3]

This is the first time we received an invitation to participate at the Day of the Devs event, an important and exciting event for indie developers in the world.

It took place a few days before GDC San Francisco, one of the biggest annual video game events, so we knew that a lot of people were going to gather.



Although it was very intense, we have felt very supported and loved by all the people interested in Mika and the Witch's Mountain, and the organization team and gamedevs made us feel at home all the time!



[h3]Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2024[/h3]

Our apprentice witch's calendar of events started in Japan. Fortunately, our friends from Pikii supported us and helped us from there so we could share some great days with all the attendees and other amazing games.



This time, Mika shared space with other wonderful games, some of them also from our catalog, such as Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara and Deiland Pocket Planet.

It's been a very exciting experience for us, as it's our first time attending these events. Doing it with Mika and the Witch's Mountain is even better because so many people recognize our adorable little delivery witch.

We are looking forward to being part of more events this year, we hope to see you at some of them!

Did you think we would leave you without an update this month? Not at all!

This time, we’ll be showing new art content that has been recently added to the game and hopefully you’ll appreciate it! Let’s jump into the new cinematic and outfit final illustrations:

[h2]New cinematic first fragment[/h2]

Our friends from Alkimia Animation Studio have accompanied us since the beginning of the development of Mika and the Witch's Mountain to create the incredible animated scenes that you can see in the trailer.

Since December, we have get together again to create a new additional cinematic that you will be able to see when you play the full version and that we hope will make your gaming experience even better.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We can't wait to have it complete, but we can show you today a first fragment where we see Andros and his twins Ilse and Han. All of them belong to the Elit race, which we introduced for the first time in Summer in Mara, and which are characterized by being quite…mean.

[h2]Mika outfits: final illustrations[/h2]

One of the promises we made during the Kickstarter campaign was to create new skins for Mika to collect and give, somehow, some more customization and variety to the adventure.



These outfits are already modeled and successfully implemented in the game, but we've gone a step further and taken that feature down to the smallest detail: This means that every time you change the skin, Mika's appearance will change in the dialogues to match the outfit. A 100% match!

*Remember that some outfits are exclusive to some campaign rewards and cannot currently be obtained, but most of them are obtained naturally by completing the game's story.

[h2]Amazing Deliveries mailbox[/h2]

Although this feature is exclusive to some of the people who supported us in the Kickstarter campaign, maybe some of them will want to share it with the rest of the community when the time comes!



Next to the Amazing Deliveries building, the company Mika works for delivering packages, there is a friendly mailbox where you can enter codes to get unexpected surprises.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Some of them will be personalized packages that the backers themselves have designed, and each of them will have a private code. We wanted to show you how it works as we are very proud of the result, but maybe you can experience it for yourself when you play Mika and the Witch's Mountain!

A new update is on the way with more info about the development, so stay tuned!

Hey everyone! This is the second Delivery Update where we will be sharing these final stages of the development until the launch of the game, and today it’s time to introduce our charming NPCs and the camera:

[h2]NPCs[/h2]
Orilla Town is the only place inhabited by a group of people on the whole island (though not the only place), but we have not yet introduced you to its inhabitants!

[h3]Workers: Sailors, Vendors, Farmers and more[/h3]

A town by the sea needs a group of nostalgic but affable sailors who bring fresh fish every day. Curiously, you will never catch them fishing, because the fish in these waters are too elusive!



The cheerful vendors of Orilla Town fill the streets with their energy every day in search of new customers. Don't be fooled by their friendly faces and kind words, they may be trying to sell you something you don't need!



Soot & Fog Inc’s Smoke factory is Orilla Town's main source of workers, although it's not an easy or clean job. If you see someone stressed out, extremely tired, and with sooty clothes during your deliveries, it's probably one of the workers at the island's smoke factory.

[h3]Villagers: Kids, old people, Tourists, etc[/h3]
When you walk through the streets of Orilla Town, you will discover the life that runs through them through its people: children playing, old people enjoying a well-deserved rest.



Mont Gaun may not be the most popular of all vacation destinations, but it is a little hidden gem for those looking for relaxation and, why not, some unexpected surprises.



Its beaches have nothing to envy those of the Mara Islands, and are much less crowded! There is plenty of space for strolling, making sand castles, and sunbathing.

And, of course, to have an ice cream!

[h2]Camera[/h2]

As we have already shown, the camera in this case can be controlled freely. This is a very positive experience for the players, who have control over it and what they see at every moment, but it poses a lot of challenges for the development.



However, we have done some additional work that will help to generate a more immersive feeling and with a very remarkable visual result with these small adjustments:

[h3]Dialogues & Bubbles[/h3]
In dialogues, the camera will automatically take a position to get a certain shot that shows the characters involved in the dialogue, more aesthetic and avoiding possible glitches between models.



Also, we’ve added bubbles to guide and help you throughout the game. Not only will they give more "life" to secondary characters and NPCs, but they will also let you know what you should do next, or who to talk to without needing to repeat a dialogue with that character.

Hope you like this a-bit-longer-than-usual update - see you soon with more fresh content!