Thralled is the story of a runaway slave in 18th Century Brazil who's trying to find her lost son. It concerns a tormented young woman named Isaura who's escaped from years upon years of of oppression and is trying to survive in the wilderness, hiding from her former masters and all of the awful things her beleaguered mind can conjure up. Thralled was a student project from Miguel Oliveira and his team that was listed as a finalist in the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge in 2012, and it's now coming out exclusively for the OUYA. And yes, it's a video game.
There are a few topics you'd assume that no game designer would ever want to touch, because at their core video games are supposed to be fun, right? So while some deal with serious issues, they do it while still entertaining. Spec Ops: The Line may be a tremendous meditation on the horrors of war and what the experience does to an individual, but it's still a pretty fun third-person shooter.
Thralled does not look like a fun experience. It looks like a nightmare.
At its core it's a puzzle/platformer similar to something like Limbo, but moving through a shadowy landscape trying to survive attack from giant spiders is far different than playing a slave escaping from a plantation, terrified both of her former masters and all the perceived threats in the outside world. Reliving a dark moment in history like that... well, it's a bit strange to even call this a game, and they seem to know it from the press release, as they make sure to call it an "interactive experience".
If done well (and from all reports it certainly has been) Thralled has the potential to be really important. For our favorite pastime to ever be taken seriously it has to hit tough topics like this, and for OUYA it's certainly a great windfall, since they want to be taken more seriously as a platform. The uniqueness of this title could give it potential to be one of the OUYA's few hits (There was Towerfall, and...?) but let's be honest- the vast majority of people will be waiting for a port so that they can actually experience it.
Thralled is being shown off at the GDC next week and will be released on the OUYA sometime this Fall. More on this fascinating title as we hear it.
