My team and I have spent the last three years creating a bizarre game about building a city on the back of a giant wandering creature called an Ombu.named the game wandering villageWe decided that the relationship between the tiny villagers and the giant animals should be the focus of the game experience. Players assume the role of a village leader, maintaining the health and well-being of both humans and their giant vehicles. This is often a balancing act, as the wants and needs of the two entities do not always coincide.
One of the main inspirations for this game is the 1984 anime Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki.the world of wandering village is heavily inspired by the anime’s setting of a post-apocalyptic world infested with poisonous plants that gradually make life on earth impossible. This adds a survival aspect to the game. Villagers and Onbu are dependent on each other and must find a way out of this mess together.
Onbu (meaning Onbu in Japanese) is a central part of the game, so our team did their best to come up with creature designs that fit the world and make sense from a biological standpoint while being monumental yet endearing at the same time.
In its early design stages, Ombu was a beast made of blood and flesh. We wanted players to feel like little fleas on the backs of giant dogs. Players harvest hair and skin scales while planting crops on animal hides. However, we realized that this might seem a little uncomfortable to some people (including members of our team), so we decided to turn Onbu into a creature made of dirt and plants.
We wanted the player to feel like a tiny flea on the back of a giant dog… but we realized this might be a little uncomfortable…
Another challenge was finding the right overall shape for this giant animal. Our art team explored everything from turtles, to wild boars, elk, armadillos and even he six-legged maned wolves. Many of these designs looked cool, but there was always one big problem. That is how to shape the back so that the player can freely place the city. Ideally, it should be perfectly flat given the art style we decided on. Here again the decision of “Earth and Plants” is in our hands. Because it makes a lot more sense to shape life on Earth this way.
We are very happy with the development progress so far and look forward to working with the community to continue working on the game. We have a lot planned for the next few months, so please join us.
wandering village is currently out on Game Pass and available exclusively on Xbox consoles.
Wandering Village (Game Preview)
stray phone studio
$24.99
PC game pass
xbox game pass
free trial
This game is a work in progress. It may change over time or be released as a final product. Only purchase if you are satisfied with the state of the unfinished game. In a world where mysterious plants spread across the earth, releasing poisonous spores as they grow, a small group of survivors take refuge on the backs of giant wandering creatures called ‘Ombu’. Become their leader, build a settlement, forge a symbiotic relationship with this creature, and live together in this hostile yet beautiful post-apocalyptic world that surrounds you. Building a Village A functioning village is the foundation of survival. Build a settlement and extend it over the creature’s back. Plan your production chain and optimize it for the most efficient use of limited space. Create a society that can overcome any difficulties. Living on the Back of a Creature Living on the back of another creature presents unique challenges. Will you live in symbiosis with living things, form bonds, and live on mutual trust? Or will you become a parasite whose sole purpose is to ensure a better life for the villagers? The choice is yours. DISCOVER DIFFERENT BIOMES Travel through dozens of different biomes, adapting your village to its unique opportunities and threats. Send out gathering missions to scout your surroundings and collect rare resources and ancient artifacts. Research new technologies The remnants of the old world hold long-forgotten knowledge that can be unearthed by villagers. Find and research these technologies, but use them wisely as progress can be a double-edged sword. Survive in the Wasteland Toxic spores, unforgiving weather, blood-sucking parasites, and many other challenges often put you at a disadvantage, but make sure both your villagers and ombs survive. Please visit www.thewanderingvillage.com for more information on the latest status of the game, how to provide feedback, and how to report issues.
