Trailer - Press Kit - Itch.io - Social Media
Buenos Aires, Argentina – August 29th, 2022: Argentine indie game co-op and dev studio Matajuegos announced today that Atuel, their surrealist documentary game about climate change in western Argentina, will release on itch.io on September 14th. Atuel was a finalist for A MAZE’s Most Amazing Game Award this year, which “goes to the most relevant, forward-thinking interactive and playful content,” and was developed in collaboration with The 12.01 Project, a team of international documentary filmmakers. The game features real-life testimonies and beautiful, dreamlike landscapes inspired by the topography of the Atuel River Valley in Argentina. The game will be free with the option to “pay what you want”.
“We wanted Atuel to feel like a dream. It’s a documentary that puts photorealism aside in order to engage with history and emotion in a more playful way,” says Santiago Franzani, Atuel’s lead artist and developer. “The game brings together testimonies and historical perspectives to form a kaleidoscope narrative that highlights the interconnectedness of life and the intimacy of our relationship with the land we live on.”
In Atuel you explore stunning, surrealist vistas and shapeshift into different animals and elements of the region’s ecosystem, at times even becoming the Atuel River itself. While exploring, you can listen to real-life testimonies by specialists and locals who talk about the region’s past, present, and future. These interconnected perspectives weave together to tell a historic narrative about people’s intimate relationship to the land they live on and the effects of the global climate crisis.
Features
- A beautiful audiovisual experience focused on contemplative exploration.
- Shapeshift into different animals and elements of Atuel’s ecosystem.
- Stunning surrealist landscapes based on the real-world topography of the Atuel River Valley.
- Real-life testimonies by historians, biologists, geologists, and more.
- A historic narrative woven together from many different, interconnected perspectives.
- An atmospheric, ambient soundtrack produced by musicians Makunouchi Bento.
- An impactful half-hour game available in both English and Spanish.
Submerge yourself in Atuel’s waters and become one with the river on September 14th by downloading the game from itch.io.
Contact: For questions, enquiries, interview requests, or a review build of Atuel, please write to us at matajuegos.coop@gmail.com.
Helpful Links: Trailer - Press Kit - Itch.io - Social Media
About Matajuegos
Matajuegos is an indie game co-op and development studio located in Argentina. It was founded in 2016 with the goal of creating and thinking about games from social, political, and cultural perspectives that are informed by their Latin-American context. Alongside game development, they have also dedicated themselves to creating Spanish-language game criticism in the form of articles, translations, interviews, podcasts, and videos.
You can read more about Matajuegos in this excellent interview published by ROMchip.
About The 12.01 Project
Atuel was created in collaboration with The 12.01 Project, an international team of documentary filmmakers dedicated to telling stories about environmental conservation. Atuel, the video game, is a sister project and loose, oneiric reenvisioning of their own film documentary of the same name. All testimonies featured in the game as well as some environmental Foley were recorded by The 12.01 Project and edited by Matajuegos.
Cooperativa Matajuegos Ltda.