Newfound Courage is an adventure game with a gay protagonist that looks to offer an experience different from other games in the queer space.
Developed by Queenslander Curtis Campion, Newfound Courage is a narrative-driven, pixel-art, coming-of-age adventure title that finds inspiration in stories like Love, Simon and games like To The Moon and Fable.
“While in recent times we have started to see many excellent games featuring gay males, they are often either underdeveloped as characters or the games are sexual in nature,” Campion told Stevivor. “Right now, if you’re underage, or just an adult who wants to play a non-sexual game with a gay story, there are not a lot of options out there.
“I want to change that.”
Players will fill the shoes of Alex, a young man who lives in a town obscured by the shadow of The Vault, a “mysterious institute containing the knowledge of a long-dead civilisation.” Alex sets off to solve the mysteries of the Vault while at the same time dealing with feelings for another young man named Jake.
Campion said Newfound Courage is a game that he’d love to have played as a young teenager after being captivated by Fable back in 2004.
“[It was] the first video game I ever played with any sort of gay character,” Campion said. “You played as a male character, who was a total badass, and could sleep with and… marry other male characters.
“It was the first time in my life I felt represented in any media. It had a big impact.”
Campion wants to pay it forward by creating a title that helps to “further normalise gay protagonists in video games.”
“[Newfound Courage] is unique because gay men in games are often either highly sexualised, underdeveloped side characters or side options in otherwise straight stories,” he said. “I plan on telling a wholesome and emotional story about a gay hero, while still making sure it’s suitable for all ages.”
Featuring a soundtrack by award-winning composer Jessica Kelly, pixel art by Kurt Prieto and editing by Lee Arthur, you can take a look at Newfound Courage below. The title is planned for an early 2019 release on Windows PC and Mac. For more — and to become a Patreon of the project — head here.
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