Project Profile: Little Bug (Buddy System Games)
By Clara Dudley
All images courtesy of Buddy System Games
Little Bug Announcement Trailer from Buddy System (2018)
In a shadowy city, where the palm trees mingle amongst crooked telephone wires and the sleepy afternoon light yawns into a Technicolor evening, 8-year old Nyah is trying to get home after school - but all isn’t going to plan. Can you help her get back?
Little Bug is the debut adventurer platformer interactive game from Los Angeles-based Buddy System Games, published with Fig Publishing Inc., and released in September 2018 on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Buddy System is the collaborative project initiated by Bela Messex and Hana Harada, along with a core team of creatives who manage the music, art direction, and story development.
Nyah is the heart of the game, accompanied by a benevolent spirit companion as she traverses a world of eerie shadows, unexpected entities, and cityscapes that bleed into desolated outskirts and desert.
Nyah, the main character. Screenshot from ‘Little Bug’
Outdoor scene with characters. Screenshot from ‘Little Bug’
As stated in their bio, Buddy System strives “to support and cultivate the creative visions of women and queer people of color.” The story is therefore not only about the physical adventure or the goal at hand, but about a deeper, relatable meaning to the main character.
Profiled by Melissa Brinks, “Nyah falls into this world through mysterious circumstances, and her trials there help her understand and heal her complicated relationship with her struggling single mother” (Forbes, 26 Oct 2018). The adventure format of the story therefore creatively reflects on the emotional complexities of mother-child relationships under inherited stresses of race, class and intergenerational trauma, through centering and uplifting Nyah’s story. For more insights on the Little Bug story development and significance from the Buddy System team, check out the Forbes profile here.
Outdoor scene. Screenshot from ‘Little Bug’
Outdoor scene (artwork design inspired by Joshua Tree, CA). Screenshot from ‘Little Bug’
“I can fly!” Screenshot from ‘Little Bug’
The depth and expanse of both the worldbuilding creative vision and the emotional and social gravity of the game is exceptional, crafted with acute care and soaring talent, with visual elements that feel informed by the fluid dream-like quality of nostalgia and rapidly shifting perceptions of childhood. The stunning setting and landscape artwork is inspired by Southern California urbanity and also the desert of Joshua Tree National Park. The dreamy mood and gothic palettes evoke something like Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas meets Bladerunner, with the lighting an electric and vibrant element across the world, akin to the witchy neon hues of a 1980s-era animation.
“Play as Nyah and her spirit light in tandem as you immerse yourself in this foreboding, atmospheric landscape.”
Outlined in the Little Big press pack, “Play as both Nyah and her spirit companion in tandem, using their telekinetic beam to create a powerful connection that can swing Nyah to new heights, destroy barriers, thwart spirits and light the way to secret locations.
Collect treasures in Nyah's lunchbox that reveal fragments of Nyah’s life and use special items to unlock secret challenge levels. Join Nyah and discover the power she holds within.” (Indieboost.com)
Follow Buddy System Games on Instagram @buddysystemgames / on Twitter @buddysystemla / visit the website BuddySystemGames.com for more info and to purchase on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Screenshot from ‘Little Bug’
