Tali Faulkner, developer at Origame Digital, aimed to challenge the video game industry with their latest title, Penguin Colony. The game, which reimagines H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness through an indigenous Antarctic perspective, incorporates themes of anti-fascism, anti-colonialism, and a critique of the industry's perceived inaction on global crises.
Faulkner, a Māori developer from New Zealand, views games as a unique art form due to their compulsory interaction, allowing for a more impactful delivery of complex messages. "Ensuring that stuff was not talked around and, like, nuance-ified where someone could say, 'I don't really have to worry about this. I can just sort of just ignore it,' — that was really important," Faulkner explained in an interview with Polygon. This approach involves embedding dialogue and imagery that directly confront difficult topics, such as the horrors of colonialism and ongoing geopolitical conflicts.
The game's distinctive PlayStation 2-era aesthetic, combined with its unsettling narrative, aims to expand players' frames of reference, a core tenet of Lovecraftian horror. "I think players will come into this expecting one thing and then go out of it going, I did not expect that," Faulkner stated.
Faulkner also touched on the importance of government funding for game development, noting the significant disparity between funding for games and film in Australia. Despite the challenges, Penguin Colony secured funding and a publisher, Fellow Traveler, that supported its uncompromising vision.
A significant driving force behind Penguin Colony, according to Faulkner, was to address what they perceive as the games industry's complacency. "When you're indigenous, you see the games industry pretty differently," Faulkner said. The developer criticized the industry's silence during indigenous-led crises, highlighting the difficulties faced by Palestinian developers. "There's this inaction of suddenly indigenous life is completely meaningless. And it's a pretty hostile space to be in," Faulkner explained. The intention with Penguin Colony was to counteract excuses that certain games lack mass appeal or marketability, citing the game's 90,000 wishlists prior to launch as evidence against such claims.
Faulkner expressed a desire to challenge the industry's deeper-rooted racism and complacency. "The point was to really bring it all into focus: If anyone was to tell me that you're not allowed to tell an indigenous story about colonization, that's great, I'll tell them to get fucked."
The development team focused on making the game's core mechanics engaging, particularly the movement of the penguins, to encourage player exploration and discovery of hidden narrative elements. "The game's so minimalist — you are focusing on that penguin the whole time. You gotta find ways to make that interesting," Faulkner said. The PS2-inspired visual style, with its use of texture and grain, is intended to provoke the player's imagination.
Faulkner acknowledged the potential risks involved in such a politically charged project, including the possibility of it being the studio's last game. However, the commitment to authenticity remained paramount. "At no point were we like, 'Well, the Germans had a point.' There's nothing like that in there," Faulkner stated, referencing the game's anti-Nazi themes.
Regarding platform availability, Penguin Colony will not be released on Xbox, and it is also unavailable on Steam in Israel. Faulkner encouraged other developers to take similar stances, advocating for boycotts of platforms and regions that do not align with principled positions on issues like the Palestinian crisis. "We're not bringing this game to Xbox for the reason you understand," Faulkner commented.
Penguin Colony is available now on Windows PC.