by Brandon CrawI had an interesting preview with this game as I knew nothing about its premise, and there weren’t any PR reps or developers from The Pixel Hunt nearby to tell me about the game. Even with no prior information, Ithaca’s atmospheric gameplay set a scene and made a statement.
Ithaca is a narrative road-trip RPG where you play as Penelope, an environmental rights lawyer who will do whatever it takes to protect the planet. Penelope is traveling to Ithaca with a secret: inside her trunk is a hostage. The game poses the question, “what are you willing to do to stop this existential threat that will lead us to inevitable doom?”
Throughout my time with the preview, I was solely in Penelope’s car while on the road. Currently planned for the full game, you will be able to visit various locations to meet new contacts, and acquire items and perks, but the majority of the time will be spent in the car. Each road and landscape is procedurally generated. With seven different endings you can reach during Penelope’s journey, each decision you make will determine the outcome of Penelope’s story as you reach her final destination.
While driving to my next destination, I received various phone calls and texts where Penelope chatted about different topics ranging from something as mundane as telling her mom about her day to reflecting on her childhood that helped shape the person she is today. Each of the conversations I encountered included skill checks that looked at personality-based skills such as open-mindedness. Successfully passing a skill check allowed you to get a bit more information out of the conversation, potentially hearing a hint to help you on your journey.
The skill tree was beautifully integrated as constellations in the sky where the constellation grows and connects as you unlock more skills. In the preview, this system was not yet fully fleshed out, but the presentation of the system along with all of the potential connections to be made evoked a sense of wonder within me. Will I be able to complete every constellation in my pursuit of unlocking more skills? What shapes will the completed constellations take?
This esoteric game might not be for everyone, but its narrative focus, interesting skill system, and provocative plot put Ithaca on my radar for next year. Ithaca will be released in Q4 2027 for PC and is planned for consoles.
Ithaca
