Ustwo games, the studio behind Monument Valley and Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, announced its next game during the June 9 livestream for Summer Game Fest’s Day of the Devs. It’s a fully-voiced strategy game about dreams, relationships, and regrets called Desta: The Memories Between, and it stars a nonbinary protagonist named Desta.
Desta is in their 20s, and they’re returning home as an adult having left some of their relationships in a weird state. In dream sequences, Desta will hear from people in their life who’ve had an impact or taught them something. The game is also about Desta coping with their father’s death, and themes of loss — but, once again, this is a strategy game that includes lots of mechanics on top of the narrative.
Just how deep is the strategy here? According to ustwo, the game takes inspiration from Hades, Into the Breach, and Inception, all games with rogue-like mechanics — and all games that require some serious strategic planning in order to advance and succeed. Perhaps most surprising is there’s a sports game influence on the game as well. In its press release, the developer describes Desta as “the deepest, most ambitious and most replayable title from ustwo games yet, but with all the heart and approachability that the London studio is known for.”
The game’s art has a hand-painted look, almost like a picture book. Gameplay screens look like a more colorful version of Monument Valley and depict a turn-based sports game in which characters pass a ball to one another, sometimes bouncing it off various surfaces and obstacles in order to complete a tricky pass.
Desta: The Memories Between has not yet revealed platforms or a release date.
